


Fives Saves the Galaxy

by ilyena_sylph, Merfilly



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Artoo rocks, Cameos, Fives is a precious clone, Gen, Luke is adorkable, Mon is protective, So is Leia, but rex carries it on his shoulders
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-26
Updated: 2016-12-31
Packaged: 2018-09-12 06:46:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 25,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9060316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ilyena_sylph/pseuds/ilyena_sylph, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Merfilly/pseuds/Merfilly
Summary: Fives is on mission, right behind his General, when the Force decides he'll do for it's little trick. Poor vod finds himself out of time, with a nightmare having happened to everyone he knew.





	1. Accidents Happen

**Author's Note:**

> Set before Episode V for the Rebellion Era, and not long after Kamino was invaded for Republic Era.

He'd been being careful. He really had. The General had chased that witch into, then out of, this place, and he'd insisted they had to sweep it. Something about the half-buried building had the General's nerves pinging, so it was a good place to step light and touch nothing. He had been, too! 

And then something had moved _under his boot_ and he'd jumped backwards off the armored thing with too many legs and hit the leg of a pillar of some kind. It'd gone all the way up to the next story, but the old stone had cracked and something had come bouncing off the top of it. It'd looked like glass, or crystal. Had to catch it, it might be important. It hit the fingers of his right hand, bounced up, and he followed it. Once, twice, one more time it refused to stay in his grasp, but it was losing speed and on the fourth, a good three meters from the pillar, he had the thing cradled securely on his palm. Transparent and gleaming, no, glowing, extending off either side of his hand but secure. 

The fabric of reality bent, tore, and he felt himself fading away from this place, a call off to his rear left of his name the last thing he knew from the ruins --

\-- and then he was seeing the same ruins, dustier, lit only by a hand lamp, not the rolling lights they had been using to clear the place. That hand lamp was in a man's hand, a man that was reaching for a blaster. The man was shorter than anyone except maybe the Commander, the orange of his suit screaming 'uniform' but none that Fives knew. 

"Who are you, and how did you just… appear?" the man asked, as an astromech beeped and booped in exclamation at the situation.

"My name's Fives," he answered past his splitting headache and incipient panic, lifting his head and immediately squinting against the light aimed at his face. The astromech's warble sounded familiar, but then, most of them had pretty similar pitches. "Could you.. not? With the light? It -- " 

The astromech's sounds went into an intense screech at either his words or him looking up, before the white, blue, and silver droid shot out in front of the man, popping both a cutting saw and an electric prod, clearly threatening Fives while adopting a defensive posture.

"Artoo!" the man protested, even as he tipped the hand lamp away. "He's probably just a bounty hunter!"

"I am _not!_!" Fives protested loud enough that his head hurt some more, while he took a confused step backward. The faint handlamp beams weren't letting him get a good look at the droid, but the electricity sizzling in-between the tines of the prod was enough light to -- combined with the man's call of his name -- make him think that was the General's astromech partner. 

But why would he be with someone _not_ the General? Also, he'd been ahead of him with the General, just a second ago... oh, his head hurt. "...Artoo? R2-D2?" 

The astromech charged forward a bit, angry beeps issuing forth in the vod'e binary code. [My pilot! Stay away!] Then, as the droid cycled through his memory, the locked files, that name registered, matched to the chromatic spectra on the armor, and the droid suddenly stilled, the saw stopping its motion. [Fives? CT-5555? How?!]

"Artoo, what are you doing? And… you, don't move. I trust my droid, even if I don't understand him right now," the man said.

"That's okay. I understand him just fine," Fives answered, his tight shoulders relaxing as Artoo stopped spinning that lethal saw at him. He knew how dangerous that thing could be! "He's trying to protect you, which says good things to me -- but hang on a minute. Yeah, Artoo, it's me. As to how -- I have _no_ idea, little buddy. 

"We were just here, with the Company, and then I caught this thing," he hefted it, just a little, "and... something crazy happened. Now you're here, but with somebody that's not the General, and my head is _killing_ me."

Artoo scanned the device, then made a disparaging noise. [Force Thing.] He put his weapons away, then rolled back to his pilot's leg, where the man dropped a hand onto the dome, having put his blaster away when Artoo put his own away.

"I have no idea how you know my friend here," the man said, "or how he knows you, as you don't look like most of the Alderaani I have met so far. But my name is Luke Skywalker, and that thing you are holding is… maybe dangerous? I've got a feeling about it, anyway."

"Skywalker?" Fives blinked, cocking his head, "The General never said he had a _vod_ , but you look some like him, if he bleached his hair like some do -- Artoo, _is_ he? 

"And... no kriff, sir. It just did something completely freaky and took me from my brothers and my General, I'm _pretty sure_ it's dangerous!" 

Artoo gave a whine, shifting from foot to foot, as he tried to figure out how to give information, rather than just confirm it. Luke looked down at the droid, then over at Fives. 

"General?" he asked, curious, and worried about Artoo's erratic behavior.

Fives cocked his head, studying the young man's face. He really did _look_ some like the General, from what he could see, and... "Jedi General Anakin Skywalker? Best one of 'em all, too. How'd you not place that, with Artoo with you?" 

"Huh? Why would I? He came to me from serving on the _Tantive IV_. But what… my father? You served with my father? He was a general?" Luke's voice was confused.

Artoo could only offer a croon to try and reassure his pilot. He then spoke in coded to Fives. [Many changes. Civilian droid, now military again.] He was counting on the ARC training to kick in, let Fives make the leap on why he wasn't really communicating.

"And somebody karking locked your memories," Fives said, replying to Artoo before he dealt with what the young man had said, "because they couldn't wipe 'em. Not after what the General did for you." 

Now he had to pay attention to the young man, much as that was -- baffling, and made his head hurt even worse. "...um, the General is **not** old enough to have a kid your age. In the slightest. I mean, he's barely older than the oldest of us appear to be! ...well, except Sinker, but he went silver when he was _six_. ...but Artoo said 'many changes', and I _just_ saw him two minutes ago, with the General where he's supposed to be, so -- 

" -- who dumped me in a holonovel?" 

From beside the young man, Artoo offered, [The thing in your hand?] 

"Oh, kriff you," Fives replied, looking at Artoo's optical spot with a roll of his eyes, utterly unsurprised when the astromech responded with the sharply razzing noise he expected. 

Luke had to smile. "Let's get that thing secured and get out of here. Artoo seems to trust you, now, and I should get back to base." He pulled a security bag out of a pouch for the item.

[Good vod. Take care of him,] Artoo said in common binary, except that second word.

"What's that?" Luke asked, meaning the unfamiliar beeps.

"He said ' _vod_ '," Fives replied, carefully sliding the object into the bag -- he had some of his own, but he'd let the Skywalker keep and carry it. Artoo claimed him, and he said that the General was his _father_ , so. That was good enough for him to believe it would be in good hands. Artoo's assessment had him smiling a little. "It means, oh, what's the neutral, 'sibling', though we say 'brother' in Basic, most times.

"You're... really my General's _ad_ \-- sorry, son?" The General, with an _ad_. That -- that was something to think of. He'd be.. Fives wanted to think he'd be good with an infant, a child... but this was his General they were talking about, and he would probably be helpless with it. Devoted and protective and loving, but helpless. 

"Yeah, though I never knew him. Still getting used to the idea he was a Jedi, actually," Luke said with a little bit of sadness. "Come on; glad I brought one of the larger ships," he added as he secured the bag. "I didn't know Artoo knew him… but you said 'locked'. That's… going to be something to get to the bottom of. But it's not like he's not used to carrying big secrets, is it, Artoo?" he asked affectionately as he led the way.

[Secrets safe. Always get my mission done. Somehow.] Artoo rolled right along, navigating a few uneven spots with a little assistance from Luke.

"You can say that again, Artoo," Fives replied with a quick, entertained smile... even while the idea that his General's son wouldn't have known him made something hurt, deep in his chest. It... **his** General couldn't die. Not General Skywalker. 

It would gut the entire GAR to lose him. He couldn't. Fives had to find out what had happened, then figure out how to make that stupid thing take him back to his General and keep it from happening. 

"Are you okay?" Luke asked, aware that Fives was hurting, with that ability that was still catching him off guard. Artoo warbled the same question, just because Luke had, and knowing how important it was to check on the Vod'e. His first pilot had impressed that on him, to always watch out for them.

"Me? Fine." Luke, beside him, cast him that sideways Jedi 'I don't believe you' look that the General was so good at, and he sighed. "Just. Worried about my General, is all. It -- it'd gut the entire _Republic_ , let alone what it'd do to the Army, to lose him.

"But if you didn't know him, don't know any of our language..." 

"Republic…" Luke shook his head. "Maybe we should talk about this back at base."

[Wait, yes. Need sit down, kaf.] Artoo rolled to where he could be at Fives' side, even as his circuits knotted up over all _he_ knew and could not say.

Luke snorted. "Okay, if Artoo is saying that, yeah, definitely wait until we are at base to talk about any more. Though… I'd love to hear about my father. Dreis didn't get to say much before we scrambled at the fight for Yavin IV, and the other older fighters don't much have time to do more than tell me that I remind them of him with my flying."

Fives looked worriedly at Artoo for the 'need sit down, kaf', and laid his hand down on the smooth dome, careful with how he placed his gauntlet. "Hi," he murmured to him, soft. 

The idea that his General's son was still fighting, that hurt as much or more as the idea of anything happening to his General. "I can _definitely_ talk about the General -- every _vod_ 's favorite pastime, swapping 'crazy kriffing _jetii_ ' stories. Or second-favorite, anyway. And General Skywalker's pretty much always good for winning 'craziest story gets his drinks covered' with any other unit."

"Craziest? Jetii?" Luke boggled a little, and kept wondering at the other language. It sounded vaguely familiar, like maybe he had heard it around Anchorhead.

Artoo gave his equivalent of laughter at Luke, but said nothing else.

Fives wondered, again, at how his General's son could know so little, but decided that he would keep his questions, and instead answer the young man, even as they loaded up on a ship more beaten-on than the _Twilight_. 

" _Jetii_ means Jedi, in Mando'a. We use it, rather than 'Jedi', for the ones that are ours, that live and fight **with** us, as part of us, instead of the ones that stand apart and just do what they must. There are plenty of good Jedi... but the _jetii_ are ours. General Skywalker and General Kenobi. Generals Secura and Koth, definitely General Koon, to name a few.

"And sure, craziest, what else do you call deciding that the tops of a bunch of magna tri-droids will make a great highway to get from one position to another the better part of a klick away? And oh, by the way, while you're _on_ the way you'll just take out all of their cannons with your lightsaber as you go?" 

Fives hadn't been there for Christophsis, but the General had pulled that trick on some planet he couldn't even remember the name of, and Rex had sworn a pretty blue streak over it. 

"That's all… wow. General Kenobi… Ben, I mean, Obi-Wan? He taught me a little, was the one that told me my dad had been a Jedi," Luke said. "I don't know any of those other names, but he didn't have a lot of time with me."

Artoo gave a derisive noise, but he was already jacking in to help with piloting, since this ship normally had two pilots. 

Fives opened his mouth to question, thought better of it and muttered, "Kaf. Kaf first. Yeah, 'wow' covers the General pretty well, basically all the time." 

General Kenobi had let anyone else have the care of his _vod_ 's son? Nothing about any of this made sense at all, and Fives raked his hand through his hair for a moment. 

Luke settled in the pilot's chair and started getting them off this planet. "So my father wasn't just a pilot in the war. That's a difference in us; I tend to just stay with Rogue Squadron, and provide air support."

[And blow up the big super weapons!] Artoo protested his downplaying.

"No," Fives said, shaking his head -- and certain that 'provide air support' did not half express what any Skywalker got up to in a ship even before Artoo put his opinion in -- before he went on, "nothing like 'just' a pilot, though nobody in the _galaxy_ is a better pilot than my General. ...it tears him up, you can see it, when we've got both a ground campaign and an air or space battle at the same time, trying to figure out where he's needed most." 

He hadn't recognized that, once, but it hadn't taken too long, watching the General, to realize what that look was. The General wanted to be with all of them, to be able to be there to defend every _vod_ with lightsaber or fighter, to bring as many of them home as he possibly could. Knowing that part of the Legion would be engaged without him drove his General right 'round the twist. 

Having the Commander had helped with some of that, once the General got to a point where he didn't have to have her right there with him. But that was its own twist in the man's heart too, and most of the men felt it too. The Commander was just as quick to take risks as the General, and less experienced, for all she was a natural fighter.

Luke frowned, but it was a look of concentration, trying to see that. "I'm pretty certain the army you belonged to is a lot different than the Rebel Alliance," he finally said. "There's a central, overall command, of course, but sometimes it's like a lot of little armies in one? Leia said it's because it started as isolated cells that were slowly brought into the full effort in the last couple of years."

Artoo added an assent to that. [Many little squads and operations,] he told Fives. [Now big, but still separated a little.]

"Rebel Alliance?" Fives couldn't help but ask it at this point, kaf or no kaf, because that was one of the words that could so easily mean something terrible. Not that he really thought his General's son, General Kenobi, or even Artoo would be part of something that was against the Republic, but... he _had_ to know. 

[Alliance to Restore the Republic,] Artoo told him firmly, [Rebel, short-form.]

"Thank you, Artoo," Luke said, glancing over at Fives once he had space around the ship again. "We fight the Empire. But how the Empire exists… something I'm hazy on… will have to wait for base. Because I'm betting it's not going to be easy for you to hear."

Fives froze on his feet, a cold as deep and bitter as carbonite or space sinking into his chest worse and sharper than a vibroblade. 'To Restore' -- that meant -- 

"We failed? The... the Republic fell." 

He would not shake. He would not break in front of this young Jedi, his General's son, but he couldn't think much past the determination not to do that and the blank, shocked horror at the thought. That all of his brothers, all of the Jedi, all of the civilians could have died for nothing, because they had _failed_ to do what they were made for.... 

"Fives." Luke's calm voice cut into his ruminations, but it wasn't the first time he'd said it, not by that tone. "I'm sorry. I really am. And maybe… maybe the Force is trying to do something about it, that it pulled you here/now and made me, of all people, come investigate. I'm not really a Jedi, but I'm trying. So maybe we can figure this all out, get some of the older ones to talk to you, and then… make that thing send you back?"

Artoo all but vibrated in place at the very thought. His pilot and senator could be saved? Snips wouldn't vanish? Everything bad could be undone?

Now he _had_ to figure out how to undo the memory lock!

Fives shook himself back into 'now', appalled that his General's son had had to call him multiple times, and then he nodded, slowly. "I... maybe? Normally see the practical applications of the Force, not the mystic stuff, but... there's got to be some reason I'm here. 

"And I've **got** to get back home, once I know enough to _stop it_. I've -- just got to. I can't let all of my brothers' deaths be for nothing. ...Artoo? What's going on in there, buddy? I can feel you about to shake yourself in half, don't do that."

Artoo made a disparaging noise, then tried to find the words that would work around the lock. [Secrets.] It came out plaintively, a frustration and plea alike for his protocols to be voided, somehow.

Luke looked to his astromech, then to Fives. "So, if he was 'locked', who would have the authority to unlock his memories? I hope not just my father, because… well." His tone said all on that subject, as well as the deep, aching sadness in his eyes.

"No, it wouldn't be just him -- he wouldn't risk that," Fives replied, shaking his head as he tried to think at least a little like his General. He looked at the viewscreen rather than Luke or Artoo, certain he wouldn't like the responses to any of the names he could immediately think of. "...the Senator -- sorry, Senator Amidala, of Naboo, I mean -- surely would. General Kenobi and the Commander -- Commander Tano -- certainly. I'd bet on our Captain, Rex, too. Kix, maybe. 

"Obviously, not me. He wouldn't have told many people -- less trusting than a Null, sometimes, our General -- how to do it, or how to reverse it, and the instructions can't be with Artoo..." Who else, or how else? 

"Other than Ben… Kenobi… I don't recognize any of those names," Luke said. "But, when we get to base, I can run a search on them all!"

Artoo managed to hold back his sad sound; he was pretty certain none of those people were alive now. Except maybe Captain Rex; he had been on the _Tantive IV_ once.

His General's son didn't recognize the name of the woman that held his General's entire heart, will, and spirit in the palms of her hands? Didn't know the name of the woman that every _vod_ in the 501st knew had to be protected, if they wanted to keep their General safe from himself? Every inch of Fives' skin crawled under his blacks for a moment, and he decided to try a leading question. "...who's your mother, Luke?" 

Luke gave a small shrug, with a twist of his mouth. "I asked my aunt once. She said my mother was the most beautiful woman she had ever seen, but wouldn't say anything else about her," he said softly. "Considering my uncle told me that my dad was a spacer, just that… I guess she could be anybody. Ben didn't mention my mother, when he told me about my father, the truth about him, anyway."

Luke should have asked, he knew, but there had been so much, and so many shocks, and losing his aunt and uncle had hurt deep in his soul. He knew his mother had to be dead, just because of the lack of information.

"Someone said **what** about my General?!" 

Luke had to snort at Fives' indignation. "With the Jedi extinct, I guess it was safer? I don't know. Maybe Uncle Owen was just trying to keep me grounded, so I'd stop pestering him and actually do my chores."

Fives growled, but that 'the Jedi extinct' had chills sliding up and down his spine. What in the names of the stars and storms could have possibly killed _all_ of the Jedi, their _jetii_? And how and why could General Kenobi have escaped that? 

He'd never want to. That _jetii_ was one that was near eager to march far away, sometimes. "...maybe," he had to allow. "Maybe. Your father, though.... he only ever had eyes or time for one woman, that I ever saw -- and she was _surely_ the most beautiful human woman I can think of seeing." . 

Luke's eyes lit at that. "What was she like? Was she a fighter too? What can you tell me?"

Artoo was listening to all of this, with so many answers for them, and hating that he could not. His memories of his Senator and Pilot kept queueing in his banks, and he wanted to show the images!

"Amazing, resourceful, incredibly dangerous," Fives answered, but had to follow it, immediately, with, "compassionate, generous, unfailingly kind. She cared enough to learn our names, and she almost never got one wrong once she'd heard it. She argued for ends to the war -- but it was always with a care for what happened to us, after. Unlike just about the entire rest of the Senate.

"Senator Padmé Amidala, is --" Artoo made a staticky garbled noise, and Fives clenched a fist, understanding, " -- was, her name." 

Luke absorbed that, taking in the idea his mother, or at least the likely one, was a politician, a Senator like Leia had been. That was amazing to him, and just added to his growing disconnect with why he had been hidden away on the furthest spot from the bright center of the galaxy.

"I wish I knew more about why my aunt and uncle raised me," he finally said. "I should have asked more questions with Ben. There had to be more to it than my father being murdered by Darth Vader. I just wish I knew."

Artoo had to choke off a sound of protest; the truth was part of events Senator Organa and General Kenobi had put behind the locks. 

" _Another_ kriffing Sith?" Fives protested that idea, even as anger slammed through him. His General dying on the field, that was one thing, horrible but comprehensible. His General _murdered_ , with everything that word implied? "...what happened to General Kenobi?"

He didn't want to know, but... he had to understand as much as he could. He reached to put a hand on Artoo again, petting to soothe that frustrated edge. "We'll figure it out, Artoo. Somehow." 

Luke shrugged. "When I was growing up, he was just this crazy old wizard, living like a hermit out in the Wastes. I think he was there to keep an eye on me, maybe? I ran into him a few times when I was younger, but Uncle Owen didn't approve of him. They got in an argument when I was about twelve?

"Now, I'm pretty sure Ben was trying to get him to let me be trained. But I never really thought about it after the night I heard them."

"...I didn't think there was _anyone_ General Kenobi lost arguments against," Fives said, baffled at what he'd heard, before he shook his head slightly. "Not when he thought it was important." Bickering with his former cadet, killing the tension with banter at each other, that was different. "But that's not -- " 

He frowned a little, trying to figure out how to rephrase the question without asking it outright. How had their other General, their High General, died, was what he meant. 

Luke felt a question in that tapering off, and frowned, trying to let the Force in, to find the right answer to words not asked… but he couldn't quite get there. He refused to sigh or show his frustration over all he was still lacking, wondering how he was ever going to be a proper Jedi like his father.

[Jedi got stupid.] Artoo could say that. He'd witnessed enough of Ben after the memory lock to volunteer that.

"Well, that's obvious," Fives replied, his mouth quirking slightly before he returned his attention to Luke. "I meant... what _happened_ to him. That he's not with you teaching you now. How he -- died." 

Saying it ached. 

Luke looked out at the distorted starfield of hyperspace, remembering that moment of seeing the lightsaber move, of the robe falling, empty.

"He had gone to knock out the tractor beam. Me and Han were rescuing Leia, with Chewie. We all kind of got separated, and the droids were having to come from a different side. There were stormtroopers all around the _Falcon_. Then they took off… and I could hear a lightsaber, then another.

"We made for the ship… and then I could see them. Ben, and Vader. Vader… Vader killed him. It looked like he might have been surrendering, because he stopped fighting… and Vader just struck him down." Luke swallowed hard against all the feelings. Ben had been the last link to his life before. 

Vader. 

Fives burned that name into his mind. 

Darth Vader. The death of both of his Generals (his Commander? please, Force, no) and Sith of this 'Empire', whatever it was. The Generals could preach against hate all they wanted, but hating the sentients that kept the war going was working just fine for Fives so far. No trouble to add another name to the list of those. "General Kenobi would have known what he was doing, Luke. He always did, no matter how crazy it seemed. ...I'm sorry." 

Luke shook his head. "It hurt, for a lot of reasons, and I got wrapped up in it, but… what happened with me and Ben there, that's nothing compared to Leia. I mean, she was tortured by him. And then made to watch as they destroyed her home planet!"

Fives hissed sharply at that, shaking his head. He'd seen worlds laid waste, it was hard to miss, but.. there was something in the way Luke said 'destroyed' that warned him of worse. He decided he didn't want to know much more. "Kriffing Sith _di'kut_ ," he muttered. "But... enough about _that_ , I was talking about the General, wasn't I?" 

He fiddled with his gauntlet a minute, before he found the holoclip he'd gotten from Coric, the General against the witch out in the space between their lines, the Commander defending against the droids, and flicked it up. 

Luke stared at the scene, his eyes flicking over all of them before coming back to the very potent figure that the man with the blue lightsaber was. This was his father. This man that looked… almost as young as himself fighting against a woman with red lightsabers.

"He's… he's young. I didn't expect that."

"Just over twenty standard, when the Legion got him," Fives agreed, watching his General fight through the long two minutes of the clip before Ventress ran. He laughed for a moment, looking back over his shoulder with a heft of his lightsaber and that devil-may-care smile that always promised a really good fight, tip of his jaw 'come on, then,' before he charged, "twenty-two, now. Well. Now for me." 

Luke's eyes would not leave that man, the smile… reminded him of Han… and laugh making him seem even more real to his son. "Not much older than I was at the battle of Yavin IV," he breathed. "I just turned twenty on the last Empire Day, a few weeks back."

Artoo all but rattled with the reason _why_ , but he stayed quiet, wanting to show all of _his_ clips, and unable to. 

But he could say something about one of the people in that clip.

[Fulcrum. Togruta is Fulcrum.] That was post memory lock, and he flashed up a common symbol of the Rebellion, her marks, where the lines and diamonds came closest.

Fives blinked for a moment, then felt his heart unlock a little, relief spilling through him at Artoo's use of present, not past. 'Is', not 'Was'. The mark that flashed up looked like a tattoo or paint, even while it was undeniably his Commander's markings. That thought, a _vod_ wearing the Commander's markings, rattled around unpleasantly in the back of his mind for a second and he wasn't entirely sure why, but he focused on the relief, "The Commander's -- no, sorry, bet you can't with that phrasing -- Ahsoka Tano's _alive_ , Artoo?" 

[Unknown. Saw, often. Then stopped coming. But, Fulcrum is still known. Maybe?] Artoo offered. [Big leader.] He let his pride come through in that trill.

"I don't know the name you used, but… Fulcrum is a code-name that crops up in a lot of the tighter security stuff," Luke said. "I have never met them, and I know I've never seen anyone like the non-human. But Leia might know. She does tend to know all of the power players."

Fives hummed thoughtfully, giving Artoo a long look. "I'm not giving up on her until I lay her on a pyre myself," he replied to that 'maybe', "not if she's survived this long."

He nodded at Luke, even though he had to blink a little. "She's a Togruta, from Shili. There aren't a lot of them that leave the planet, so I guess it's not too surprising that you wouldn't recognize her. If she's a high-up in your Alliance, then I've _got_ to be in the right place. So... who's this 'Leia' you keep mentioning?"

Luke lit up like Hardcase in the middle of pranking the Captain. "She was Alderaan's Senator, and she is the Princess, which means she's got not just the Alliance to help run, now that her father is dead, but she's also the one the Alderaani look to as a spiritual and political leader, until they can find a new homeworld. She's the smartest, most dangerous person I have ever met, and she's also just…" and he made a hand gesture of complete bewilderment, "she's Leia."

He'd never seen his General open up like that, quick and bright (more like the Commander) and somehow sweeter than honey, all that open worship falling from his lips and written across his face. He'd seen edges of that kind of depth of emotion, behind the General's tight control of his weaknesses, but... 

"...totally gone on a Senator," Fives said with a moment's laugh, some of the tension breaking and he would take that, "you're _so_ your father's kid."

Luke blinked, then actually blushed a little, ducking his head down with a shy smile. "She's my friend… " he protested.

"Good," Fives replied, sure of what he saw -- stars knew, there was enough falling in and out of love among any legion that it was easy to recognize -- but willing to take pity on anyone that blushed that quick and easy, at something so mild, "best that way."

Luke didn't want to get into the complexity of Leia plus Han plus the Rebellion itself, and his heart still being in knots if he sat for too long and thought about Biggs. 

Luke went quiet, something hurt flashing across his eyes, and Fives settled in for the ride, his hand occasionally reaching to brush Artoo's dome before he took the advice of a million generations of soldiers and went to sleep.


	2. Oh Captain My Captain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fives meets a couple of Senators, and then gets a briefing he really isn't prepared for. Thankfully, a familiar face is called in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written before Rogue One, so there will be some continuity errors with it. Also, some long held headcanons are at work in this.

Luke got them back to Home One, and locked the ship down in as good a shape as he had borrowed it in… a fact the ground crew appreciated as he led Artoo and Fives off the ship. He lifted his commlink to his mouth after keying a frequency.

"Leia, are you busy?"

"No more than usual? What do you need, Luke?" 

"Can you meet me… officer's ward room?" Luke preferred to stay out of officer's country as much as he could, but this needed them up there, just in case.

"You want --" Leia cut off the startled question, since obviously there was a reason, and redirected, "of course, Luke, I'll be right there. And hey. It's good to know you're home." 

"Thanks, Leia." Luke set a course for that level, guiding Fives past a lot of men and women and other beings going about their duties. "Sorry; we're a bit crowded right now," he told the soldier, who was getting side-eyed for his armor. "We haven't found an actual planetary base to replace Yavin IV." 

"...reminds me of some of the refugee transports off Sep-taken worlds," Fives replied, shaking off the oddity of being looked at as though people were afraid of him -- or doing his damnedest at it, anyway. "More than a Fleet ship, but... given how bad things sound, I guess I understand." 

"It won't be so bad once we have reliable intel on how the Fleet is restructured, now that Tarkin is dead," Luke said with a shrug. "But yeah, me and my squadron are hot-bunking, it's so tight."

The lift they used came to a stop and opened, and a tall, stately woman that looked like someone important, someone Fives thought he had seen even, was standing there. Her hair was redder than General Kenobi's and her skin was as pale as the Senator's… and her eyes shot wide open as they took him in.

Mon Mothma had not been expecting to run into Skywalker, let alone Skywalker and a stranger… who was anything but. She had seen that face so many times, had watched the evolution of their armor. This one was in blue art, and the helmet was so vividly decorated.

Luke was carrying his lightsaber… and safe. The clone was so young, not at all like the men that had been cleared by Fulcrum so long ago, the ones that had aged too damned fast.

She could not help the gasp that escaped her, in that first instant of appraisal, even before she verified that Luke was safe!

Fives tried again to place the woman, because he was _sure_ he knew her, his heart twisting a little as those wide-blown eyes turned almost frantic and raked over Luke as though she were checking that _he_ hadn't hurt him. He would never raise a hand to a Jedi, any Jedi, let alone his General's own son! 

He pulled himself sharply to attention, his jaw snapping up as he kept his eyes on hers, right hand snapping into place. 

"At ease, ARC-Trooper," she made herself say swiftly, despite feeling almost foolish for her fear. It had taken legions to take down the Jedi. Bail had told her even the youngest ones had given an accounting for themselves, cutting down many of their attackers. "May I know your name?" she asked. "As I am… rather surprised at your appearance. It's as if you stepped out of the liberation of Ryloth itself, as young as you look, and how well your armor has held up."

Luke watched, catching a number of currents in the air. Mon Mothma had been as fearful… for him?... of Fives as Artoo had been initially. What was he missing?

She could tell the difference in his armor. That made him like her, and he flashed a quick and playfully bright smile to her as he relaxed back down, shifting his weight back onto his left heel. "I'm Fives, sir. And I was barely more than a cadet for Ryloth, but I did hit Geonosis the second time...?

"As to my appearance, I'm as confused as you are, sir. One minute I was with my General and my Company, the next I was looking at Luke and Artoo and everyone else had... disappeared. Except Artoo tells me it's twenty-some years in my future." 

"Geonosis was a very hard campaign from all I ever read, ARC-Trooper Fives," Mon Mothma said, before the rest of that registered. "Time traveling? Now that's not something I've ever even heard of. I presume the Force was involved somehow, as our own Jedi is who found you?" She smiled warmly at both of them, then down at Artoo. "I am Mon Mothma, of Chandrilia," she added.

"Mon Mothma is nominally our civilian leader," Luke told Fives helpfully.

"Nominally," she accepted, uncomfortable with being singled out above her peers. 

"You're not joking about that, Sir," Fives replied, relaxing a little more at having her name. Echo would know instantly, but he thought... he thought he remembered her. Much younger, of course, than she looked now, but that hair, and the pale skin, the white cloth and silver... They might be busy, but they paid attention to who in the Senate tried to help them. 

"Chandrilia's Senator," he said, half to himself, before refocusing on her. "You tended to vote with Senator Amidala, right? And Senator Organa? As to the Force -- I can't think of anything _else_ it could be." 

Mon smiled, but there was such sadness in her eyes. "Yes, I did. Senator Amidala was my friend, and Senator Organa was my mentor for years," she said. "I will leave you in Luke's capable hands, ARC-Trooper. Do be at ease here among us."

She needed to see if there were any Vode An still in service to the Republic, and find Fulcrum's files on the men, on what caused the slaughter of the Jedi, but she was trusting Luke to be the match of a singular one, should whatever ailment that had hit them then take this one.

"Thank you, Sir," Fives replied, sharpening back into attention for the departure of a Senator even as he cleared her way. He wished he hadn't upset her, but it was the only reference he had to place her securely in his mind... and her presence confirmed even more that he was with people on the right side of whatever this war was. 

Luke led them on to the ward room from there, and immediately moved to start the kaf maker, remembering Artoo's suggestion. The astromech settled into a spot that would allow him to connect and use the display, in case they tumbled over subjects not under lock.

Fives settled his bucket on the table where he could easily lift it again, and wiped accumulated dust away from the eyepieces and off the eel with a cloth out of his pouches. Scuffs stayed, as he was no kriffing shiny, but dirt did _not_. He put the cloth away again, and -- because he was apparently going to be sitting a while, unfastened the kama and belt-slung pouches around his waist to lean them next to him. The pouches behind his spine slid forward and he settled into the chair next to where he'd put his gear. 

Luke had just finished getting two cups and pouring hot water over a tea pod when the door opened, and a tiny woman, braided hair wrapped into buns, wearing a pure white dress belted at the waist walked in. Luke lit up to see her, and moved to hug her. 

"You must have been handling civilians today," he said, taking in the princess look. "Gotten so used to seeing you in combat gear lately that I forgot … well, you look nice."

Fives had shifted a little towards the opening door, and as light spilled in behind her, for a moment he thought it was his General's Senator. Then Luke moved, smiling, to gather her into his arms for an embrace, and -- ooh, oh. Fives winced. That was less smooth than a shiny on his first visit to 79s, and he looked at Artoo to have something other than whatever the lady might say to pay attention to, even as he got to his feet. 

That had to be Luke's 'Leia', Senator and Princess. 

Luke was so lucky that he looked so happy to see her, that he'd gotten his arms around her before he started talking and fell over his own tongue, and Leia pursed her lips as she looked up at him, an eyebrow lifting. "...'nice', huh? And what were you about to say you forgot?" 

"I forgot how different you look in your dresses," he answered right away. Luke stepped back just enough to handle introductions. "Leia Organa, please meet Fives… ARC-Trooper Fives, apparently, according to Mon Mothma. He, or whatever brought him to this time, is what drew me to that planet. The Force… it broke time, to bring a man that served with my father here!"

Artoo quickly chimed in. [Pilot tells truth.]

Leia looked past Luke, at the other person in the room -- she hadn't at first, trusting Luke to know what he was doing -- and for a moment her left hand closed around the blaster-hilt on his right hip at the shine of light off armorplas. But he was talking, quick and bright and eager, almost delighted, and her hand dropped away again. 

Her eyes swept over the stranger on his feet, the white armor painted in broad rough strokes of blue, the dark-grey flared-out shoulder-pieces like nothing she'd seen before, dark hair and a neat goatee, dark eyes and a smile (but wearing stormtrooper-white under the blue and the grey), and a utility belt (not unlike a trooper's). The helmet -- not a stormtrooper's helmet at all -- was also painted. Fives, Luke said this man's name was, with a rank Leia had never heard, and then... Then there was that last, and she wasn't sure that she believed that at all. 

Though Luke wouldn't lie to her, and he wouldn't say something like that lightly. 

"Definitely not me," Fives replied, just on his feet to be introduced (like Luke didn't think of him as anything but another person, "had to be that thing on your hip, Luke. Pleasure to meet you, Si -- Ma'am?" 

He'd forgotten, with the other Senator, that some women got upset at 'Sir'. She hadn't seemed to. This one, though, her body had tightened and her mouth tensed even more than those first moments when he'd known he was breaths from being shot at. _Why_ had he been breaths from being shot at? He wasn't going to hurt his General's son, or anyone that served even the idea of the Republic. 

Luke didn't like the tension, didn't like that Leia was on edge, didn't like seeing Fives possibly moving toward that frustrated pain again. "I needed you to come join us, Leia, because you know the Rebellion's history, and what came before better than me. And Fives… I think the Force pulled him here so that maybe… maybe we can change things.

"If he understood how the Empire came to be, he can save the Republic," Luke told her optimistically.

Leia made a sharply wry noise, forcing herself to relax, even as the idea of being able to change the past made her wonder at Luke's sanity. Yes, she'd seen him do some things no one else could, but that? That was beyond what she was prepared to accept. But... "I wouldn't call myself an expert on it, by any means. It's hard to be, on things that have been erased. 

"But I can definitely try. Hello, Fives." She moved towards the table to take a seat, across from him. 

She sat, and Fives settled himself back into his seat, his eyes narrowing a little at that 'have been erased'. He understood OpSec, but from how she said it... this was something different. "Pleasure, ma'am." 

She really did look some like the Senator, Senator Amidala, but... well, the handmaidens did, too. 

Luke settled near them, putting the tea at Leia's hand. "One thing to go ahead and mention is an agent named Fulcrum. Apparently she's connected back to my father, and Artoo said it's possible she's still alive? Oh, and I need to find out how to unlock a droid's memories, because my father did something to Artoo that means he has memories he can't tell us."

Artoo warbled at Leia plaintively on the heels of that.

Leia stared at Luke in shocked surprise, her mouth moving for a moment. "...Fulcrum? She -- I haven't seen her since I was a teenager. She used to come to see my father, when I was a little girl. I remember her. You said she... connects back to your father? 

"That's... amazing. But... no one's heard from Fulcrum in the better part of four years, not that I know of -- and I think I would know. She was declared missing on an operation." 

Fives shook his head hard. He wasn't going to believe the Commander was lost. She'd come through so much, so many bad situations... He wasn't going to believe she was lost. Not yet, maybe not ever. Missing didn't mean dead. It didn't. "...and Artoo?" 

Leia shook her head. "I've never heard of a droid being locked instead of... well, wiped -- I didn't say I wanted to, Artoo!" she said at his sudden sharp warbling. "Just that I've never heard of such a thing." 

"The General was a genius with droids and anything mechanical," Fives replied, "and it obviously worked." 

"Maybe Winter knows something about those kind of techniques, or a slicer that can get around such things?" Luke suggested. "If she is available," he amended, knowing that Leia's foster-sister was out of base more than he ever was, and obviously very tangled up in Rebellion planning. "I don't want to risk Artoo's memories at all, but I'd trust someone Winter picked."

Artoo beeped in agreement with Luke, but shaded it with disbelief that Winter, or anyone she knew, could get around Anakin's abilities. [Captain? Was alive. Might know, you said,] he beeped at Fives.

"What, Artoo?" Fives turned his head, staring at Artoo, hope beating deep in his chest. "You didn't mention that _he_ might still be here! Captain Rex?" He remembered the man that had saved him and Echo and Hevy, that had led them through every damned hellish battle, and promptly tried to squash the hope. "Artoo said," he translated, since it had been in clone binary, "that my CO, my Captain, was alive, and he's got to mean in the Rebellion." 

"I don't recognize that name, but if he was well-known under it, he might be working under a different one now," Leia said patiently. "However, there are several members of the Alliance that were active during or just after the Clone Wars. I can ask for you." She turned and reached for the small data pad in Luke's cargo pocket, not even asking, and he didn't protest, just moving to make it easier.

"Anything that helps us teach Fives whatever he needs to know to try. It means saving so many lives and stopping such suffering," Luke said.

Fives nodded, though the idea of the Captain changing his _name_ made his entire skin crawl with uneasiness. This was a civilian, though, she wouldn't understand what that meant, how viscerally wrong it was. "Okay. So there are a couple of options for Artoo, if you can find the Captain. Or... your friend. 

"But I just -- I don't understand. How did -- how did the Republic possibly -- ?" 

Leia took a deep breath, then tried to find the right words. "A lot of this came from my father. And I know he left pieces out, pieces that were too dangerous to know, when I would be on Imperial City so much, too near Darth Vader with his abilities.

"Just before I was born, though, there was a supposed Jedi coup against the government, that led to the execution of most of the Jedi. Father said there had been no such thing, and I believe him, but the use of the Force was forbidden, all Jedi were outlawed, and in the meantime, the former Chancellor declared the Republic was ended, that it would now be an Empire. The War that had been going on just… died away.

"This led my father and several of the military men that did defect to the Alliance to believe that the war had been engineered, but any proof for that vanished in the purge of information," Leia said. "Mon Mothma might actually know more, as she was a Senator when the Republic fell. She stayed one, despite multiple arrests, for a long time after, actually."

Fives had started shaking his head at the very thought of their _jetii_ moving against the Republic they had sacrificed so much for -- but then she just... kept talking, and he had to listen. The Jedi... outlawed. That was as ridiculous as the idea of the Jedi starting a coup -- 

\-- wait, what? 

The Chancellor? "...Chancellor Palpatine?" He was their Supreme Commander, the head of the Republic, his word -- 

\-- no, his word wasn't law, not without actual law behind it. Not without the vote of the governed. That was what made the Republic different than the Separatists. His head hurt, trying to think through it. 

The war just stopped? 

_Stopped?_

"The Seps would never just... stop. Ever. They don't... they wouldn't. Not unless..." 

His head was pounding, the idea was insane, but he trusted his Jedi a thousand times more than the distant word of a random politician, even the Chancellor. He knew his _Jetiise_. Just like him, they were for the Republic -- and... 

He clutched at his temples, trying to reason through it and wanting Echo to turn his mind to it -- Echo was sharper than he would ever be. What Luke had said flowed back to him. 'Darth Vader', who'd killed his General. Vader, who'd killed General Kenobi. A Sith, highly placed in the Empire the Republic had been turned into. 

A Sith... at the Chancellor's side? 

Leia showed compassion for this young man, reaching out toward him for his hand, if he would give it to her. "I grew up under the Empire, taught in secret about what the Republic had been meant to be. Neither my father nor my mentor claim it was perfect, are quick to point out the flaws it had. 

"But the ideals were there, and instead of proving those and making it even better, those that claimed to have it at their heart, turned on it and made it a slaving, terror weapon," Leia said. "Because my father told me the Emperor painted himself as a benevolent reformer, and then custodian of the Republic before his true face was revealed."

Fives looked sideways at the movement, at the hand stretched out to him, and he laid his fingers over hers, carefully. They'd been flashed-trained with the ideals of the Republic, so that they understood what they were fighting for, flash-trained to loyalty to it... and always taught that they were different. They were the safeguard for all of those principles, so no one else would suffer while they were there. 

"There were a lot of flaws. But... you said, 'slaving'. Who?" 

Luke was the one to answer that. "Most of the non-humans that resisted," he said. "I've listened to Chewie a little, when he got caught up explaining why he stays with Han. The Empire hit the Wookiees hard, to start. Other races followed."

"In the Senate, before it was dissolved while I was a prisoner of the Empire, human Senators had more sway than non-human," Leia said. "A few non-humans held real power, but not many. And we were strongly discouraged from mingling. Imperial City grew more and more homogeneous with every year I was there, first as an under-secretary to my father, and later, as a Senator."

Now _that_ was outright wrong. The free-born races, turned into slaves, on their own planets and off? No. That was a betrayal of everything the Republic was supposed to be. 

Fives bared his teeth for a moment, shaking his head, grateful it seemed to be clearing from the sudden-onset headache. "I'm sorry... 'Imperial City'? Do... no, you **do** mean Coruscant, if you were there as a Senator. He renamed the heart of the Republic into -- that?'

There was a Sith at this slaving Emperor's side. There was a Sith at the Emperor's side, and that... it was important, more important than anything else, maybe. A Sith, and the Jedi slaughtered, and -- 

His training tried to push away what he was thinking, but he made himself focus, made himself take the idea to its conclusion. A Sith would not suffer being less than in control, unless... 

...unless he were the Apprentice. And if he were the Apprentice, the Master... the Master would have to be... 

They'd seen other traitors in the Senate. He knew the Senate wasn't inviolate. Why should its leader be? 

"Artoo, I don't know if you can answer, little buddy. But -- am I right? Is the Ch -- is the _Emperor_ ," he corrected himself, "a Sith, himself? It's not just Vader, but the Sith took the Republic?" 

Artoo struggled with the answer as he knew it to be truth, but he had learned it before the lock. Nothing the Emperor had done publicly spoke of Force use.

"I don't think he can answer that," Luke said softly. "It's alright, buddy. We're going to figure this out." 

"It's okay, Artoo," Fives repeated, because Luke was right, he could see that Artoo was trying and failing, "don't hurt yourself trying, it's okay." 

He pushed his fingers against his temples again, trying to make himself focus, to keep track of these threads. The Republic had fallen not from the Seppies but from the inside, become something horrific instead of just its karked-up self... he couldn't let that happen. They had to find a way to get him back home. 

With full confirmation of what he suspected, somehow, from somewhere. He had to have some kind of solid proof to give his Generals. 

"This Captain Rex?" Leia asked. "Artoo, I know you can't speak around whatever this memory lock is, but can you confirm the likelihood he can undo it?"

The piercing affirmative, delivered promptly, was answer enough to that, and Leia reached for her comm to get their best personnel tracker on it. "This is Commander Organa. I need any and all personnel files on a Pre-Empire member named Captain Rex, associated with the old Army, delivered to Commander Skywalker's data pad, swiftly."

"Yes, Commander."

Fives lifted his head to look at Artoo at that noise, then at Leia for the clear, crisp orders, letting himself have a little hope again. The Captain would know, and be able to unlock Artoo, and then he'd know. 

He still couldn't understand how all the Jedi could possibly die. They were... _Jedi_. None of them would hold still to be blamed for something they hadn't done, that wasn't in them, or die easily. And a Jedi with their guard up was almost impossible to kill for anyone but another Force user... 

What could have possibly... 

An answer suggested itself to him, and he dismissed it in the next moment. There was no way that they would, _could_ , kill their jetii. Their Jedi. Yes, they were made to follow orders, but everyone but the newest shiny had confronted situations where the order was wrong. 

And they _weren't_ droids. Any order to arrest their Jedi, or worse, harm them... their own disbelief would have given their _jetii_ time to react. It couldn't be.

The data requested came across the pad soon after, and Leia scrolled through it, frowning slightly. The man in question had apparently been attached to the _Ghost_ , a team Leia knew had possessed a Jedi once upon a time. The Jedi had headed for Expansion Space for some reason, a few years ago… not long after Fulcrum vanished. 

She read on, though, and found a medical notation stating that the man had apparently re-enlisted under a different name, taking a significant drop in rank and status, but a medic had caught the deception due to Shadow Virus antibodies in the man's bloodstream. She followed up, and found he was in a ground based group currently en route to explore a potential base for them. 

"Communications," she called into her comm, "I need a … Sergeant Hawk contacted on the _Gliding Eagle_ and patched through to the comm screen in the ward room I am occupying," she said.

"Yes, Commander!" came the crisp reply.

"You found him?"

"Probably. The medics flagged this Hawk as probably being 'Rex' due to having antibodies to a rare disease," Leia answered.

"Blue Shadow?" Fives asked as he perked up a little, remembering that. "Could be a few brothers, but... most likely the Captain, with what Artoo said." 

Artoo remembered that name. He remembered his pilot being so upset and worried. He remembered being afraid for his Senator. From what he knew, it had to be Captain Rex; he had not seen very many clones escape the Empire like the man with Jaig Eyes.

"Yes, actually," Leia told him, as that clicked into place as yet more confirmation that either this was a very elaborate hoax… or they had a chance to undo the Empire at its very beginning.

"The Shadow viruses were nearly impossible to stop," Luke said. "We had an outbreak of something in Anchorhead that had them worried about it, when I was a kid."

"I know," Fives agreed, "but there _is_ a cure -- assuming you have a Jedi crazy enough to risk getting it -- and the General did. Damned Sep bioweapons..." 

On the _Gliding Eagle_ , the comm tech stared at the incoming from _Home One_ and paged the Sergeant to get to comms. The flagship wanted video, and for that transmission he had to be up with him. 

Sergeant Hawk, a man who had hidden the symbol he took his new name from by having it tattooed, along with other, equally important things, on his body, jogged up to the comm suite, refusing to read more into this than some sort of specialized mission. He was down as demo and infiltration specialized, after all, and had done all he could to mark out his past.

The only ones that should want to find him, _would_ find him, no matter how he hid, after all. **She** would not have used comms to get to him, if she had reappeared from whatever _haran_ that black-armored monster had put her in. That he fully believed she was alive went without saying; he'd never found a body.

"Sergeant Hawk reporting," he said once he reached the suite.

Leia saw the comm projector light up, and she activated her end, uncertain what to expect to see on the other side. "This is Commander Organa. Sergeant Hawk?" she questioned, a hand motion keeping Fives at bay, out of the pickup for the moment.

What Rex could see so far was a woman, young like his best memories of the Naboo Senator, and reminding him sharply of her. But Organa was the name of Alderaan's first family… or had been. Next to her was a young, pale-haired boy or young man, all open curiosity and a jawline that made his chest ache.

//Seeing things, today,// he growled in his mind. "Yes ma'am. Sergeant Hawk speaking."

Fives stared at the screen, confusion rippling over him. That sounded, mostly, like the Captain, but... he was old. Old, and bald, and bearded in white, body thickened with age, and in civilian clothing... Could that really be his Captain? 

Artoo checked the image against his last memory of seeing Rex, and it was similar enough. He made a quietly relieved noise, and stayed still himself. 

Even with the color-fade of the comm screen, Luke saw something flicker across the older man's face, just for a heartbeat, and he wondered why. The holo he'd seen from Fives didn't explain it, he didn't look that much like his father... did he? 

"While I respect any being's need for privacy, so long as it is not to hide violent crimes against sentient beings," Leia began, "I need to know if you once answered to a different name, for the Republic itself, Sergeant. We have an issue here, and believe you may very well be able to save a lot of suffering if you are the man I am looking for."

The man on the other ship sucked in a breath, eyes closing with a lance of pain. Yet, he was made to serve, and was being called upon. He could not deny that.

"I was once a man called Captain Rex of the Open Circle battle fleet, ma'am. I have no idea what you might need from me, but if I have the ability, I am at the service of the Republic, always."

Leia gave a smile at the phrasing, even as she realized her request had opened deep wounds on this man, ones that were soul deep. "Trooper, if you will come to this side of the table?" she invited Fives.

Fives' heart had leapt at hearing the confirmation, at that firm statement of his name -- but... why would he claim the Open Circle instead of their 501st? What in the name of the stars was going _on_ , that he claimed the _fleet_ instead of -- 

Senator Organa called him and he moved, tucking his bucket against his elbow as he moved into view and snapped to, his eyes searching the screen... and his Captain _reeled_. "Sir?!"

"It's not possible," Rex said, even as he stared. The face had once looked at him from a million beings, but this particular one, with the way he had his hair styled, that tattoo on his forehead, the helmet that commemorated what had been the opening move against Kamino, even if it had taken a little more time because of their own actions on Rishi…

… this was his vod'ika, his Fives. The vital looking man was strong and healthy, nothing like the burned out, scared man or that … that corpse, murdered by a brother at the command of a foul abomination.

"Fives? Vod'ika?" he asked, needing to hear this effigy answer; no clone ever mimicked its template perfectly; he'd _know_ if it was a trick.

"Sir, yes sir," Fives answered, wanting to be able to just get through the goddamn screen and get his hands on his Captain. his body tightening with the need to. "Some kriffing crazy Force stuff, _vod_ , but... it's _me_. You still always first, sir?" 

Rex snorted, side of his mouth going up in that half-smile that had been familiar to all his troops once. "Without my _jetiise_ to get in front of me, I have to be," he said, sadness raking out of his eyes. He then refocused on the Commander at the table… the girl one, as he realized the boy with his general's jaw (and eyes) was wearing flight commander tabs. "Sirs, I apologize for whatever trouble Fives gets into for you," he said, just enough cheek in it to show Fives he was very much himself. "You can't ask for a better man.

"However, you mentioned me helping somehow, ma'am, and much as I have things I need to tell my soldier, duty first."

Luke couldn't help but give a smile at the way the man refocused, impressed by that dedication, though he, like their recent defector Dodonna, looked like he'd more than given his life to service and then some. "Commander Skywalker here--"

Fives was torn between a moment's smile at the twist of his Captain's mouth, so-familiar even though in the next moment it looked so sad. His Generals... really were gone. He made a protesting noise, but didn't say a word, at that apology -- he wasn't a shiny, to be somebody else's responsibility, even his Captain's -- 

Kriff, could his General's son be any _more_ his General's son?! Mouth open at exactly the wrong time and all?! 

Rex had to reach a hand out and steady on the console as he looked, again, at that jawline, at the eyes. He held his tongue, though, because the Commander was speaking, and he was still very much a military man.

"-- and I have an astromech that I am told belonged with my father," Luke continued, even as he grew concerned over that stagger in such an older man. "Who has a memory lock. ARC-Trooper Fives thought you might be able to do something about that?"

Rex considered, then realized he might need Ahsoka's journal to do it, but he remembered there being a cypher. "I have something in my gear, that might let me unlock it. I can't remember the cypher off the top of my head, but my… my Commander left a journal that will help. Tell Artooey I'll do all I can."

Artoo answered that himself. [Know you will. I watch over Fives.]

That reassurance… meant more than Rex could say.

"Thank you," Luke said, and meant it so completely. "I really hope you're right. Because there's so much none of us know. And before I even _try_ making that thing that brought Fives to me to work again, he's got to know everything he can." 

Fives nodded, breathing for a moment, watching his Captain (kriff, but they didn't age well) intently. He'd taken Luke's sideways confirmation of being the General's son fairly well... 

"I'll get it now, Commanders. Will recontact you as soon as I am back up here," Rex said, spine straight, jaw sharp, every bit the military man. He made eye contact with Fives, savoring the face, the solid look of him. " _K'oyacyi_!" he said, probably more fervently than he ought to, but dammit, even if Fives couldn't… go back? he was here and now and real and alive!

"We'll be here, Captain," Leia said firmly, eager to learn more, curious about that language, curious about this whole mystery… and hopeful for the galaxy, especially her people.

" _Oya!_ " Fives said back at him, wanting (again) to be able to get **to** him. Settling for a comm, when his Captain was so rattled, was not his favorite thing in the slightest. The comm cut off, and he sat down carefully, stretching his hand out to Artoo. 

Artoo immediately rolled to him, putting his dome under that hand. [Captain fix. Was with Fulcrum,] he volunteered. [Knows most of the things.]

"What language is that?" Leia asked. "The one you and he use?" She sipped her tea, watching this man that appeared to be about her age, maybe a year older. He was not quite like any human she had ever seen, and the armor was still distracting, even if its colorfulness did much to ease her mind. No stormtrooper ever looked that bold.

"Mando'a," Fives replied, looking at the Senator for a moment, "well, mostly. Let us talk long enough, and some longneck phrases get thrown in, too -- mostly to swear at things, but. No surprise there."

"Longnecks? And Mando'a… that's one of the Mandalorian languages, their main dialect, I think?" Leia smiled at him warmly. "Sorry; I'm very curious. That history is mostly erased. Mon Mothma and some others know pieces, but we've been so pressed to survive and try and defeat the Empire, that we haven't gotten far on recovering history."

Fives' mouth twisted slightly, amused. "Longnecks is what we call the Kaminoans -- our creators. And yeah, I think it's the main dialect? General Kenobi never had any problems following us, anyway. It's okay, you can ask... you're not just prying because you can."

"Created? No, wait. Clone war… I always thought they were the other side of it. I see I am wrong," Leia said, watching him with compassion in her eyes. "And my father spoke to me of General Kenobi as his friend. I actually met Luke here because of him getting my message, asking for help."

Luke smiled softly, but there was sadness too. "Changed my life when Artoo brought it," he said, trying to think of the positive, not the losses.

Fives nodded, shrugging slightly. "We'd have preferred it be called the Separatist War, since they started it, but nobody asked us. CT-27-5555, at your service, ma'am. Your father was Senator Bail Organa, right? The 212th mentioned he'd been to the _Negotiator_ a few times, always treated them well. Ran one of the relief missions to Ryloth, too -- one of the few Senators that would come out into the Rim with us to really help." 

"Yes. He was my father," Leia said, quiet pride suffusing her to hear that. "I've tried to live up to his legacy."

"You do," Luke said. "I've heard the others talk about how you are so much like him and your mother."

Artoo warbled proudly at that. [Princess is good human.]

"Praise doesn't get much higher than that," Fives said, smiling a little at the immediate commentary. "Artoo's picky about people." 

"He's got a lot of personality," Leia agreed with that, settling back to wait for the Captain to come back on comm. She tried not to worry that his ship would be attacked, or he was wrong and didn't have the key.

Luke got up and refilled their drinks, needing to do something, even as he felt a deep hope that they could fix everything. The Force was very powerful, or so Ben had said, after all, but this seemed like a dream.

Fives laughed, quiet, "You're not kidding. He'd sass everyone, from the General and Commander to the newest shiny that dared put so much as a coupling out of place on the _Azure Angel_ or _Twilight_." 

Luke looked interested. "Were those ships my father used?" he asked, eager for any trivia about the man.

Artoo kind of rocked a little, but did not say anything. He had liked both ships, even the _Twilight_ , once his pilot and Snips had rebuilt it.

Leia slipped her hand to Luke's thigh, resting it there, amused and also so understanding of his need to know more about his family.

"Yeah," Fives agreed, watching Luke's sudden focus, and more than willing to answer, "a Delta-7 Aethersprite and a G9 Rigger that's normally the answer to 'Where's the General?' if we were in hyperspace. He's always working on it. Including when he ought to be _sleeping_." 

The last was an annoyed grumble, because the General didn't kriffing take care of himself, no matter what bantha poodoo he talked about the benefits of meditation. 

Leia turned her head just a bit, looking at Luke with amusement until he squirmed. "Sound familiar, farmboy?" she teased him.

"Like Han's not half as bad!" Luke retaliated, though that brought color to his ears… and hers. Then Luke looked back at Fives. "Still hard to wrap my head around my father being a General, as well as a Jedi. I grew up just thinking he was a spacer. Not… a hero."

Fives managed to bite back the outraged noise this time, at least, and just shook his head in confusion and dismay. "Still have such a hard time with that. It's... it's not right. But with what you said about the _jetiise_ dying, maybe it was safest." His mouth quirked a little, and he made a wry noise. "Oh, he's that. The Republic's darling, the 'Hero With No Fear' -- which is a complete load of shit, he's only fearless about **himself**. For us? General Kenobi, the Commander, the Senator? All you have to do is hear his voice in a fight to know better."

"That's good to know. Really. Because when they decided that I was going to take Rogue Squadron, I was terrified, being responsible for them. What if I get them killed?" Luke remembered Biggs, covering his six, trying to give him time for that shot.

Leia moved her arm up around his shoulders, holding him close despite the stranger in the room. "Shh. It's that worry, and how well you plan your runs to protect them, that makes Rogue Squadron the elite X-Wing squad."

Fives understood that, he understood it so much, and he nodded slowly. "There's nothing worse, sir, than knowing you have a CO that _doesn't_ care. Some of the Fleet-side brothers, their Admirals don't, and it..." He shrugged for a moment, the sorrow for his brothers an ever-present thing. "So you hang on to that. Just don't let it paralyze you. Everybody dies." 

Luke swallowed hard. "I will… thanks."

Leia liked what she was hearing out of the young man… and then the comm lit up and solidified again into the image of the older man, barely breathing harder.

"Apologies, Commanders, for taking so long. Artooey, can you roll into view?" Rex asked, and the astromech did so. "First thing first, Artooey. That thing, the reason for what happened, you have to be careful, you know." He tapped his head, up where a small scar showed.

[Protect my pilot,] Artoo promised him, as that was within his capabilities.

"Right."

Fives blinked, tipping his head to the side as he watched his Captain. That tap at a scar, along with that 'the reason for what happened'... something black and cold slithered down his spine, and he shook his head. Whatever the Captain was implying, it couldn't be what he thought. 

Luke's mouth quirked at that 'Artooey', at the quick, affectionate nickname he hadn't thought of, but Artoo seemed to like. Or at the very least, appreciate. 

Leia listened as Rex began rattling off a string of letters and numbers, as well as a few words in Basic, Huttese, and Mando'a. Artoo accepted the string, then his lights all went off at once and that droid was actually perfectly still and quiet for a heartbeat, two… and everything cycled toward a reboot.

"Commander Organa, all things being equal, I believe I can make it to _Home One_ in roughly seven point five hours," Rex said. "That's my man there, and I might be needed to flesh out what Artoo knows."

"You'll come, sir?" Fives asked, wanting to be with him, wanting to know from not just Artoo's perspective but his _Captain's_ what had happened. 

"Of course," Leia answered, nodding. She was very fond of Artoo, but she knew that the difference in perspective and understanding could be vast. "You'll be quite welcome. Do you need me to talk to the _Eagle_ 's Captain?" 

"Doubtful, ma'am. They'll be expecting something, given that I was called by _Home One_ ," Rex told her. "And yes, Fives. I'll be there. Arseven can help me shave the jumps to a minimum." His throat ached, but the little droid was one of the few pieces he had left of her.

Artoo was continuing through his reboot, unaware of everything else, reintegrating over fifteen years of memories into his own processor. Luke kept an eye on him worriedly.

"Yes sir," Fives answered. "See you soon... _ori'vod_." He said the last with a sharp, deliberate smirk. 

Rex gave a snort. "Mind yourself, Fiv'ika," he shot back, with warmth and genuine care. He then cut the communications, so that he could get himself there.

"It seems we will need quarters for two, not one," Leia said with a hint of amusement. "No room down in Rogue country, I know. And Han is already sleeping on the _Falcon_ with Chewbacca… I think I'll ask Chewie if I can take the lounge for now, and let the Captain and you, Fives, have my quarters. It's possibly the easiest shuffle."

Fives laughed before the comm cut out, the so-rare sweet-name brightening his spirits a little more, before blinking at the Commander, startled. "I'm sorry, Commander, I hadn't thought of us putting anyone out." He was too used to there always being a least a few open berths, he guessed. His hand ran back through his hair, looking sideways at her. 

Luke snorted, but didn't _say_ that Leia was just looking for an excuse to be on the _Falcon_. Not aloud -- he didn't know this man that well, yet. "Fives, she's right, that'll be easy, and the lounge on the _Falcon_ is pretty comfortable." 

"Alright," he agreed slowly with Luke, even as it felt wrong. 

Leia made notes via Luke's datapad, authorizing ration draw for this new member of the Alliance, as she was the practical one. Taking care of the people was a lesson impressed upon her by her mother, reinforced by her father.

Finally, Artoo beeped, and he wheeled sharply to Fives, pincer arm coming out to clasp the man's hand very gently in a very overt display of relief to see him.

[So much bad. So wrong. Save everyone, if new pilot gets you back to my pilot!] he chattered swiftly.

"Hey there, Artooey," Fives said, dropping down out of the chair to wrap his other arm around Artoo's frame. "I hope so. I hope so _so much_." 

He laid his forehead against one of the uppermost dome panels for a solid moment before he lifted it again. "No idea how that might work, but... there's gotta be a reason i'm here, right?" 

[Yes. Force things with reason. Good things.] Artoo then looked over at the pair of commanders, and made a chortling noise for a moment before mischief had to take a back seat to duty. He focused again on Fives. [Trust me?]

Fives blinked. "...yes? Why's that a question?" 

And what had he thought was so funny about the Commanders? 

[Because I need you to go to medical with me. I can tell med droid. Keep you safe.] That was first priority. Tup had malfunctioned without a command; he could not risk it in his friend and their possible savior.

"Keep me... safe?" Fives cocked his head slightly, then... "Like why my Captain has a scar here?" he tapped his temple at where he'd seen Rex touch. 

What -- no, he wasn't going to think too much about it. If there was something his Captain and Artoo were concerned about... that was enough for him. "Okay. Lead the way, then." 

"Artoo?" Luke questioned as his astromech began guiding Fives out.

[Necessary. Watch over. Bring back to you.] 

"Wait, Artoo." Leia stopped them, extruded a quick, temp pass from the printer. "He needs this, so he doesn't get in any trouble accidentally." She held it out to Fives.

"Thank you, ma'am," Fives said, tucking it securely away. "I don't know what's going on, but I know it's important." 

Artoo gave a low whistle of agreement, then guided his friend down to the medical area. There, he had to find one of the older med-droids, but was able to convince the droid what was needed. Mostly, he just did a lot of 'Skywalker said so' backed by 'Princess wants this', but they got Fives into a sterile field.

[Sleep. Tell you everything after. Promise.] Artoo was not moving from where he was at Fives' side.

"This mysterious crap is for the birds," Fives told him, but submitted to the anesthetic hypospray.


	3. Intel Briefing, and a Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Artoo speaks more freely with Fives, and then Fives gets his captain back.

Fives came back around slowly to a bacta patch on the now-shaved spot of his skull that Rex had tapped, and Artoo the only one with him in a recovery berth. 

[Safe now. Bad thing gone.] Artoo had only learned of the chip's existence after the fact, when he could no longer discuss things, from top-secret meetings on the _Tantive IV_ and extrapolating the events with Tup and Fives against the Purge. No vod would ever have hurt a Jedi… willingly, not one who wasn't corrupt to the core.

"Bad thing? What 'bad thing', Artoo?" Fives asked, even though he was frightened of the answer. "What... what was in me?" 

[Chip. Inhibitor? Make calmer than ARC and Null clones. Used to make clones into droids.] Artoo let out a very sad sound at that last. [Chancellor ordered it.]

"To -- to make us _what_?" Fives asked, choking on nausea and locking his hands on the frame of the berth. "But... why?" 

Artoo made a long, mournful warble. He hadn't been there, not for the massacre. But he had been in the habit of monitoring the HoloNet, and he knew what the aftermath had been.

[Trusted their men,] he answered. [Always trusted. Unless corrupt, like the Umbara one. Order changed men. All Jedi, or nearly, died.]

"No," Fives murmured, because it was whisper or scream, and he knew better than to scream, horror pounding wildly through him. " **No** , Artoo, we _wouldn't_ \-- " 

Not their _jetiise_ , not -- not at -- 

What -- what had that done to his brothers? What had -- 

Things that had happened, the looks he'd gotten, the wariness, suddenly made **sense** , and he rolled to grab the waste bin, because even all of his training couldn't keep the pure sick nausea from making his body rebel. 

Eventually, he was just sitting there with the bin closed again, knees against his elbows, and trying to remember how to breathe evenly. "The Chancellor really is the Sith Master, then. Only a Sith would murder the Jedi like _that_." 

[Yes, he is.] Artoo considered telling the truth about his pilot, but… was it necessary? [Pilot is at risk. Used by Sith. You will protect him, though. Save all. Stop chip, end Sith. Trooper Tup… malfunctioned. Gave hint. You followed hints. Did not report before died… except maybe did? Captain was with Snips, when saw them after everything. Was with you, when you died.] Artoo pushed against his knee. [Don't go back and die! Save us.]

The reply was useful, it allowed him to slot 'the Chancellor is a traitor' into 'confirmed intel'... and this time his head didn't hurt. Then Artoo said that, said the General was in danger -- not just of dying at their hands, but of being used by the Sith -- and his blood burned hot. 

The _haran_ his General was going to be used by them. No, not even kriffing _happening_. 

"Tup... I don't know that name yet," Fives said, after a long moment of trying to place a brother and failing. "Still on Kamino?"

The idea of his death -- it didn't really bother him. Only the idea that he'd died without being able to save his brothers did. This time, he wouldn't fail. 

_If_ his General's son, Luke, could even get him back. No, that couldn't be an 'if'. Not with this. Not knowing this. It had to happen. "I won't let my brothers be used like that, Artoo. I **won't**." 

[I know. Good Fives. Good vod. Captain's favorite.] Artoo pushed against his leg gently. [No Tup yet… Snips still a Jedi then, yes?] he asked.

"Of course she's _jetii_ , what else would she be?" Fives replied, startled, putting the bin down so that he could rest his hand against Artoo's dome, that quiet, firm 'Captain's favorite' washing warmth all through his chest -- even if he thought Artoo had to be wrong, because the Captain was always on his case... 

Artoo made a quiet, low, worried whistle and then played the clip of Ahsoka's sentencing that had been preserved on the HoloNet, used as further anti-Jedi propaganda.

[Betrayed. Pilot saved her, found real culprit. Snips left anyway. Pilot said she couldn't trust the Jedi.]

"What the kriffing -- **like haran** \-- Of all the stupid -- What was **wrong** with everyone?!" 

Artoo made a razzing sound in agreement. [You know this. I know this. Evidence was not strong, but they did that to her. Wasn't her. Was green one.]

"Green one?" Fives cocked his head, trying to figure out who that would be, out of all the assorted Jedi. "I can think of three or four 'green' Jedi, Artoo..." 

Bad enough sometimes he wasn't sure if any of the Jedi that weren't _theirs_ cared about them, the idea that they'd turn on one of the padawans, on the barely-more-than-cadets that threw themselves so hard into the fighting.... that had his blood heating up.

For answer, because Artoo did not want to say the name of someone who had hurt his Snips so badly, he played an image of Barriss's face. [This one.]

"...the one she likes so much?" Fives asked, shocked and hurt for his Commander's sake.

[Yes. Pilot very angry, hurt.... said she had to go, but missed her.] Artoo gave a low beep of worry. [Fix that, don't let her be alone after Tup comes. Pilot needs her.]

Fives hissed, his hand petting lightly over Artoo's dome. "So what happens with her, is after we get Tup? Okay. Kriff, not a brother in the Company as wouldn't jump at the chance to stick close to her, won't be hard." 

And of course the General had been angry, and hurt... how could he not be? The Commander was _vod'ika_ to all of them, even him (no matter what the Jedi preached), and losing her -- having her taken away -- would shred him. 

[Good. Keep her safe. Break the chips… that must happen before breaking the Chancellor. He can trigger the order that kills Jedi.] Artoo swiveled his optic up to look at Fives. [Do not go through Pilot for that part, about Chancellor. Processor is bugged.]

Fives had started to nod at the comment about breaking the chips, and then... then there was that last, and he froze, again. "...bugged? Artoo?" Kriff, but his voice was thin. At least it was just Artoo. 

[Chancellor claimed to be his friend for years. Bugged.] Artoo gave a sad beep for that fact.

"...and the General is nothing but loyal, all the way to the bone," Fives said, soft. Right. The General wouldn't want to believe it, and if he talked to the Chancellor... everything would fall apart. "Okay. ...General Kenobi safe to go through?" 

[Should be? Tried to save my Senator. Did save babies.] Artoo gave his version of a laugh at that thought, thinking of the Princess and his new pilot. [Can tell them now!]

"Babies?" Fives cocked his head, curious -- before Artoo's chortling as he looked at the Commanders clicked with the 'them', and that he'd thought he was looking at Senator Amidala for a second when Leia came in, and... "You can't be serious. They're... and they don't know?" 

[One to Tatooine, family there. Other taken by Senator. But my Senator named them. Her babies!] Artoo was emphatic on that. [Don't understand why taken to different places. Siblings are supposed to be together, yes?]

"Too kriffing right, they are," Fives replied sharply, a flicker of anger at General Kenobi running along his spine. _Vod'e_ , especially two as close as a batch -- "Wait, two at once? In... one tiny little woman? How did -- 

"Never mind. You've probably got no better idea than I do, sorry, Artoo. And I don't understand why they'd be separated, either." He paused, turning it over, trying to figure out why they would have separated them... "Maybe some Force thing? If they'd been together, they'd've been easier to find?" 

[Maybe? Stupidest Jedi chose. Other Jedi did it.] Artoo razzed at the idea, then made a quiet noise. [Echo. Have coordinates. Not dead. Very hurt. Many … parts? Added. Not dead.]

Fives went rigid, far past frozen, as he looked down at Artoo in horrified panic. No, no, his _vod_ was **fine** , he'd been right beside him while they were sweeping that ruin, what did Artoo **mean** 'not dead, very hurt'? "A-Artoo? What? Echo's **fine** , he was right beside me!" 

Artoo managed to look sheepish. [No Citadel yet? Okay. Keep Echo safe. Citadel was bad, Pilot said. Snips sneaked with. Saved all she could. Echo… captured. Thought dead; Pilot went after him later when found out. Doesn't have to happen now!]

Fives' heart pounded with fright for his brother, for his Company, even as he looked down at Artoo. "No... no 'Citadel' yet. Where's that? I mean... what was the mission?" 

Kriff with his vod being captured -- actually, just kriff **all of this**! He was going to fix it, he was going to make it not happen, it couldn't happen. Not his brothers, not their _jetiise_ , and sure as the **storms** not the Empire. 

[Bad mission. Carbonite needed. Tarkin involved.] And at that name, Artoo let loose a binary round of profanity. [Owed his life to Snips, and then tried to kill her with Trial.]

Fives growled at that, and filed the name of that particular Fleet officer away to try to toss to clankers. "Mmm. Okay, then. How long was I out?" 

What he really meant was 'how long until the Captain gets here?', but. He didn't have to say that. 

[Captain should be here in less than hour,] Artoo cheerfully told him, knowing what he meant with his intuition. [Food for you. Take to quarters, then I wait for him, show him where. Private for brothers first, then take back to Princess and pilot.]

"You, Artoo, are _the best_ ," Fives told him, and that was enough to get him onto his feet. "Wait, how in the hell was I out for six-plus hours?" 

Artoo gave a snicker at that. [Don't sleep enough. Made med droid fix that while fixing your head.] Artoo had wanted Fives as well-rested as possible.

"Why you sneaky little -- " Fives shook his head, tucked his bucket under his arm, and leaned to tap the door open. 

[Take care of Pilot's men, always,] Artoo reminded.

+++

Artoo, true to his word, had determined where the Captain would be landing and gone to wait for the ship, rolling back and forth a little on his wheels as the shields opened and then the ship settled into place. 

The green, red, and white droid in the wing socket of the ship gave a greeting to Artoo, one that was bland and betrayed little of the personality and memory of the astromech. Then the cockpit opened, and the older man started to clamber out.

"Coming or staying, Arseven?" he asked gruffly. The droid popped back in a rude tone that he would stay with the ship, showing that the truce between man and machine was a strained one at best. Despite that, Rex did run a hand over the dome before clambering down to go and greet the droid down below. "Hello, Artooey," he said warmly.

Artoo beeped an excited, wordless greeting, and thumped himself against the Captain's legs -- more carefully than he would have, but the Captain did not have armor on -- in greeting, pushing up against him. [Can _talk_ now! You fixed! Is good! Best Captain!] 

"Hardly best, Artooey, but I try. Glad to help you out." Rex stroked a hand along the dome. "Where's my vod?" he asked, half afraid that part of the call would prove to be a hallucination of some kind.

Artoo razzed at the 'hardly best', pushed against his hand, then shifted his body in a nod. [This way, this way. Quarters,] he told the Captain, and pivoted around to lead. [Oopsed... told him how to find Echo, but Citadel not yet...] 

Rex grimaced. "Artoo, that was … a bad mistake, given how those two were. But he's warned now, if they still wind up there, back then. If, you know, they can figure out how to put him back in time." He shook his head as he followed along. "Really my General's son?" he questioned softly. "And a _jetii_?"

[I know it was! But... is Fives' Echo, wanted to save,] Artoo said unhappily, hunching down before the more pleasant topic brightened his array again. [Really is! **Is** Pilot's son. ...not trained, not yet, and no one to, but... has Force. Much Force, like Pilot.]

"Well, now you can show him some of the training sessions you recorded for _her_?" Rex asked, throat thick, even this many years later. She'd gone, and he hadn't even been able to recover her body, leaving him all but convinced she was alive, somewhere… and out of his reach, like Echo had been.

[Can!] Artoo agreed cheerfully, before looking up unhappily at that tone, warbling uncertain worry. He did not like for the Captain to sound so upset, and it made him worry about their Snips. Fulcrum. Whichever she wanted to be called. He continued leading the Captain, quiet for a moment as the turbolift whirred. 

"Wasn't certain you knew what I meant, about the chips, Artoo. Did you get Fives taken care of, so he can't … accidentally hurt the boy?" Rex had worried about it getting set off somehow. And he found it ironic that the one who had set him on the right track had to be taken care of by them instead.

[Did take care of!] Artoo replied intently, rocking a little. [Pilot talked about Tup, Fives. Not let Pilot's son get hurt. Or Fives. 

[Told him, not tell Pilot about Chancellor, until all done. He thinks tell Kenobi. Yes?]

"Probably the best idea," Rex agreed. "Given that the Commander won't really be able to do anything about it. Kenobi might." He stroked the dome to calm Artoo down. "I'll give Fives a message, something to help prove he's been here-now."

[Good,] Artoo replied, settling down a little, before he made a curious chirp, [Chips not proof?] 

"Is good proof, buddy, but he _is_ Fives. Not everyone takes him seriously, and Cody might try to block access, because stars know Kenobi was never resting enough," Rex said. "If I give Fives a message, Cody won't block him." His chest hurt for the mention of his dearest brother, but … he might win that relationship back with this gambit.

[Fives is Fives,] Artoo agreed, pushing against Rex again, before the turbolift door opened, and he led Rex to the right door, bumping into it. [Now for _vod_ ,] he said, and turned to roll away. 

Fives got back to his feet and crossed to the door, fast, at the sound of astromech-height contact with it. He'd shucked his torso armor, as he'd seen the Captain just in fatigues, and had been cleaning it for something to do while he waited -- as waiting was not exactly one of his best skills. 

His eyes found his Captain's -- after a moment's confusion at having to look _down_ slightly -- and every word left him. 

Rex looked up, having gotten used to the loss of inches that hard living and age had given him, then just wrapped his arms around Fives' torso as he stepped into the man's space, and held on for all he was worth. 

"Vod," he breathed, leaving off the diminutive as a sign of respect for his little brother.

Hard, solid arms curved around him, and Fives hooked his jaw over his brother's shoulder, latching on just as tight. A breath brought him the scent/taste of a starfighter, over the foundation of a brother's scent, and he shuddered a little. " _Vod_ ," he breathed back. 

He hadn't realized just how much being without a brother close-by had been messing with his head until just now, when he wasn't alone anymore. "Sir." 

"Ehh, knock that off," Rex growled. "I don't run things anymore, in any unit." He pushed into the solid hold, then sighed. "Come on, Fives. Get situated where you're comfortable, so I can start dragging out the nightmares we went through, to give you enough intel to really kriff that _hut'uun_ and his plans."

He couldn't afford to give himself more comfort than he'd already taken. Wolffe had found peace a couple years ago, finally, and Gregor… Gregor had let himself slide back into the not-remembering. Rex couldn't and wouldn't blame him, but he'd felt so alone for the last couple of years.

Fives snorted. "My Captain," he told him, but he mostly let go and shut the door before he dropped onto the small couch. 

The Captain still looked so wrong to his eyes, but his presence and carriage and intensity, those were all _right_ , in a way that went beyond words. This was Rex, just... hardened more, with more years. Years he hadn't been at his side. Years maybe no one had been. 

Yeah, no, that wasn't happening. None of this was. Which meant listening with everything he had. 

Rex came and settled on the couch as well, close enough to keep contact but not be overwhelming. "So… how close to naming you ARC did you come from? Because you never disappeared on mission from my viewpoint. Means figuring out how many of the little things I need to tell you, as they all built to the big kriffing mess."

Fives shifted, pushing his knee against his Captain's, and looked at him, counting back, and gave the answer. "I can tell you where we were," he added, and named the planet. "The General had that throw-down with the witch, and then said we needed to sweep the ruin..."

Rex nodded. "Alright, I know just when you are from then." Rex stopped and considered just what needed to be said. "Tup… you don't know him yet, but he's the first clue something was wrong in our heads. He's what sets you on the trail of the chips, before… before it all went to _haran_. But there were little things, that built up… and you need to tell Wolffe to pay attention to the casualty rates in Pong Krell's units! I'm fairly certain that's all that will be needed to put an end to that filth.

"Ahsoka… The Commander goes missing a couple of times, but winds up coming out on top and stronger both times, so I'm not as worried about that part. However, she needs to have a guard with her pretty much full time, starting about four weeks after Tup is assigned to us. It's to keep her safe from suspicion… if you can't derail things before that."

Fives rumbled irritably at the thought of their Commander missing, separated from them, but... he'd mind what the Captain said. If it made her stronger, better, it wasn't something to interfere with. "Artoo said that, about Tup, and her needing to be with a brother -- how the _kriff_ did anybody ever even _think_ she could've turned, sir?!" 

"Probably the fact she had been missing a couple of times; time that she could have been influenced. But that kriffing traitor… 'Soka's not here to yell about it not being her fault, and kriff it all but we were all facing that _haran_ and we didn't turn traitor!... set things up, and then compounded it in such a way that the whole Republic was baying for her head."

Rex took a long moment to pull his temper back under control. "So you might want to have Kenobi pass on to Unduli that her Padawan is off her thrusters."

"Will-do," Fives agreed, rumbling low in his throat at the mention of that padawan. "And I'll make sure our Commander says safe, Rex. ...'Pong Krell'. Not a name I know, but... Artoo said something about a corrupt Jedi, too. One and the same?" 

Those words made his skin crawl, but he didn't avoid the truth just because he didn't like it. 

"Yeah," Rex said, terse and pained. "We need him terminated, quickly. Fair certain General Koon will have opinions once Wolffe has the data." He closed his eyes, thinking. "Don't interfere with the mission over Mortis… I think it has to happen. But, for kriff sake, if the Commander shows signs of needing sleep after it, you make certain she gets it, and isn't alone! That planet did something to all three of our Jedi, and marked her permanently.

"If it gets to that, then the next mission will be the Citadel, and you need to keep Echo closer. Also, with your help, might make it easier for the Commander to sneak along; General told her no. Kind of hoping it doesn't get to that point… but if it does, and you can manage it? Make certain Tarkin never makes it out, vod. He's a nastier piece of work than Grievous himself, with what he has done for the Empire, and in helping bring it about. Emperor's man, through and through."

"Sir, yes _sir_ ," Fives answered, his hand flexing at the thought of both a Jedi and a Fleet officer that needed to die badly enough for the Captain to just say it, but... he'd do what was needed. Anything to keep their own safe. "Mortis: bad but necessary. The Citadel: kriffing cluster of a mission, and Tarkin doesn't get out. And point General _Buir_ at the Jedi traitor in their midst, fastest." 

" _Elek_." Rex closed his eyes. "Assuming you can't expose the Chancellor before he sets things in motion, our Generals will be recalled to Coruscant because Grievous is supposedly there invading and kidnapping him. This is the beginning of it all going wrong for the Jedi; we'd been there for months, with Tup and Umbara and losing 'Soka.

"General had gotten us Ahsoka back, split us in half and we'd taken a new new number, those of us for her. Appo got the main set, and I went with our new general. We were on Mandalore, as that insect, Maul, was there with the Death Watch and Kenobi had asked us to help Bo Katan take it back.

"The Order went out while we were there, and it took a while before I knew just what happened elsewhere, as I had to help 'Soka get out alive." Unconsciously, Rex reached up to hold the tooth on the chain, remembering those violent days.

Fives hissed at the mention of Grievous, that cockroach, then cast him a look at the idea that _Appo_ had gotten half of the 501st, but -- if that was the start of losing their _jetii_ , he'd already been dead. Now that was a disturbing thought. "...Maul, seriously? How many lives does that insect _have_?" He'd rather deal with _Ventress_ , and that was saying something. "Okay, trouble on Mandalore, _again_. 

"But I'm not gonna let it get that far, Sir. There's got to be a way, and I'll find it." 

"Given that Kanan said the bug showed up on the mission that took my... that took Ahsoka away, too many," Rex growled. "And I hope you can stop it. Undoing the chips will take a huge effort; Master Ti might be a good idea to start on that one. Once it's done, I've got faith you'll figure out how best to help Kenobi undo the _hut'uun_.

"You might want to tell her the longnecks never shut off the aging, either."

The idea of Maul surviving the fall of the Republic, of still being around... that lit Fives' temper. He wondered what the next word after that 'my' had been supposed to be, but he didn't push. It wasn't, really, any of his -- "Wait, **what**?! 

"They didn't -- that's why you look -- sure will, Sir." 

Rex smiled at him, amused by that quick answer. "Can't have you losing your good looks, after all, vod'ika," he teased Fives. "You might need them to keep Echo from pushing you out of the berth for your shenanigans."

Fives laughed at the teasing, before he answered, stretching back slightly against the couch, "Not my looks he keeps me for, _vod_ , but I appreciate the thought..." 

Rex snorted, but he did take a moment to admire, again, the younger man, since he was putting it on display. He supposed he should be thankful Ahsoka had never been shallow about appearances, because seriously? Why she had stayed with him, when the memory of _that_ had to have been so jarring as he broke down with age…

He snapped himself away from those thoughts, with a sharp reminder that 'Soka hadn't had the best taste always, given bedmates like the witch, after all.

"You ready to go start dealing with the _jetii'ad_?" he asked. "Not sure I have much more I can say, other than to reinforce again not to take this to Skywalker himself, when you get there."

Fives grinned as his Captain's eyes ran over him, a little smug at the ability to pull that reaction, and he reached for his hand for a moment. The idea of not telling their General anything, though, that.... that ran jagged along his nerves. "I -- I understand, not about the Chancellor being Sith, sir, but..." 

Rex reached up, letting Fives keep the one hand, but using the other to rub at his face and beard. "Fives, you don't want that answer. You really shouldn't have to hear it, and I don't want to say it. It's too damned personal and hurts like a blaster burn in my guts. Just… tell Kenobi to remember who the General's friend has been since before he could shield… and I think Kenobi will get the rest."

"Artoo said his processor was bugged," Fives said, his skin crawling and something trying to suggest itself to him, before he just swarmed into his Captain's space, tucking around and against him and careful where his armor landed. "I -- yes, sir. Won't ask again.

"It's not _jetii'ad_ , though, it's _jetii'ad'e_ , according to Artoo." 

Rex jerked his head back, but not his body, to look up at his trooper. He then shook his head, half-grinning. "The girl too? Didn't know that was possible. But she reminded me so much of the Senator." He then stiffened. "Right. You start seeing signs that anyone is noticing what you and the others are doing, you get some brothers you trust fully to go do protection duty, hidden if possible, for her. You hear me? Because I'm pretty certain Ahsoka was right when she said our General wouldn't be able to get through losing her."

"The girl, too," Fives agreed, staying where he could easily meet his Captain's eyes without leaving his space in the slightest. 

The thought of the General losing his mate -- because mate she had to be, for there to be _ad'e_ \-- oh, that truly, truly didn't bear thinking of, and he nodded. "I hear you, sir. Got to protect her, to protect him." 

And that, protecting their _jetii_ , was what they were for, kriff Sith plotting, they were for their _jetiise_. 

Rex held his trooper, his little brother, his protege… Ahsoka had been so right about the depth of his feelings for Fives… and closed his eyes. The last couple of decades would be nothing but a nightmare, if they succeeded, and one that hopefully none of them even dreamed.

Fives settled back down, line of his jaw against his Captain's shoulder, and just stayed put. Rex'd tell him when he needed to move, but his elder brother had obviously been alone too kriffing long. No time constraints on this side of things, it seemed, so... there was time for this. 

Rex felt that settling, decided that this was more what they both needed in the moment, and breathed in the scent of armor and tibana gas and proper vod scents as he got himself pulled back together. If there was a single trooper he could have chosen for this, outside of himself, it was Fives. The younger man knew how to get things done, and wasn't as hamstrung by discipline as some brothers were.

Fives made a moment's quiet, humming noise, and stayed tucked in, just breathing, and feeling his Captain settle, able to be still when he had that as a goal. Wouldn't last, there was too much to do, but. For now.


	4. To Go Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fives gets his full briefing, and Luke gets a boost to do what needs doing.

Knowing they were supposed to be genetic copies of one another had set Leia up for one impression, even with the age gap. However, the reality was far different as the Captain and ARC-Trooper joined them at the _Falcon_ , brought there by Artoo. 

"Permission to come aboard, ma'am?" Rex asked, even if the ship was docked aboard another one. Since she was in the ramp-way, he presumed she had the authority to grant permission. Artoo was already wheeling up onto the ramp, as it was half a home to him anyway, much as Han would protest, because if Leia was here, so was Threepio, sometimes.

Fives had come up beside his Captain, his eyes searching the Commander's face again, now that he knew she really was the Senator _and_ his General's _ad_ , and waiting for her agreement. 

Luke looked down the ramp -- and despite having heard that they were the same, genetically, from both of their lips, he couldn't see it. They looked so different, even if their eyes were the same shade, and something about the way they carried themselves was similar, too. 

"Of course you can. Han's not one to stand on too much formality, and we told him we'd have company eventually," Leia said, making her eyes map the cheekbones, the jaw-line, the particular slope and shape of the brow-ridge. 

How hard a life had the elder one lived to have his spine compacted enough to lose that much height?

"Appreciated, ma'am." Rex came up, and knew Fives was moving with him in that way that brothers did. It felt as soothing on his soul as their earlier stretch of just holding one another, breathing in the scents that were uniquely them. "Captain Rex, last unit of the GAR was the 332nd on Mandalore," he added as a proper introduction. "We were an irregular unit out of the Open Circle Fleet, commissioned just before the invasion of Coruscant… what you know as Imperial City."

"Then… from what little I know, your unit was a very late commission," Leia said. 

"We'd been split off of a different battalion," he agreed, but declined to name it.

Fives looked at him sideways -- apparently, he _really_ should have asked why the Captain kept not claiming the 501st, but, well, no asking now, in front of the ears he obviously didn't want to have hear it. But whatever his brothers had done that the Captain wouldn't claim them... it was never going to happen. **Never**. 

He kept himself alongside his Captain, nodding to their General's _ad'e_ in greeting. "Commanders," he said, lightly. 

"Good to see you again, Fives," Luke said, then asked, "You're alright, right? I mean, with the way Artoo ran off to medical with you, I was worried." 

Rex snorted, but put a fond smile toward the little astromech. "Sorry for not being able to explain that little bit, Commander Skywalker," he said on Fives' behalf, even as his trooper had nodded. "Our people were used, against their will, to destroy the Jedi Order. Artoo knew what I meant, and took necessary steps to keep Fives safe, and protect you."

"Protect Luke… because he's a Jedi?" Leia said, catching the full impact. "Or will be," she acceded before Luke could protest he really wasn't. "It is safe now?"

"It's all right, sir," Luke replied to Rex with a shake of his head, even as that 'used against our will' made his chest ache. All of that devotion Fives spoke of his father and General Kenobi with, that colored his entire presence every time he mentioned them or the Commander... if that was as common as he made it sound, and they had been used against the Jedi anyway? That was almost beyond obscene, to him. 

"Yes ma'am," Fives answered her, "Artoo and one of the med-droids took care of it." 

Speaking of whom, and things to take care of and talk about -- he cast his gaze at the droid settling in next to the dejarik table, curious. "For which I'm kriffing thankful. The thought of being turned on a _jetii_..." he did let himself shudder. 

Rex shifted a hand back, settling it on the man's forearm. He kept his eyes on Leia, though, politely on her face. "I'd never risk the child of my General, in any way, so I'm thankful Artooey already knew what I meant."

He could see Padmé Amidala in her even more clearly this close, though the Princess was, if anything, shorter than he remembered the Senator being. Granted, the boy was lacking his father's height too.

[Protect new pilot, keep pilot's men safe. Always,] Artoo promised.

"Don't we know it," Fives replied, turning a smile Artoo's way, "heard about you and those B2s, you know." 

[Which time?] Artoo replied, cheerfully impertinent, and Fives snickered. 

"Well, I meant on Qwalzan-Theta, but apparently there're more?" 

"Yes," Rex said. "Wound up saving some big wig with nothing but a squadron of his own kind. Arseven's been miffed ever since that he wasn't there. Of course, that droid keeps a chip on his shoulder."

[Someone had to argue with Snips!] Artoo said, defending his 'cousin' astromech.

Leia had to smile at the interplay. "Come sit down, gentlemen, so we can see if there is anything else that needs shared. Mon Mothma has given us her full permission to answer any questions, no matter the security clearance, if there is anything from this end of time Fives might need."

She didn't add that Mon had actually looked both relieved and awestruck that Captain Rex was joining them for the mission briefing. 

Fives came to find a seat, settling in with his bucket against his shin, and somehow found himself with Luke at his left side. Luke gave him a smile, kind of shy and definitely friendly in a way that reminded Fives of a younger vod.

Luke then pulled the device out, still in its bag. "I think I'm going to have to provide the power, and you provide the guidance. At least, that's the feeling I get when I think about this thing for awhile," he told Fives.

"Sounds a bit like a Holocron," Rex said. "Takes a Jedi, or a Sith, to provide the power to open the ones that belong to either side, but anyone present can push it to show what they want to know from it, once it's been unlocked. At least, from what I saw of a pair of them."

"Even if we can't… and I am fervently hoping we can," Leia began. "The two of you are invited to help us start rebuilding the history surrounding the Fall of the Republic, along with Artoo. Mon Mothma agreed we've neglected that too long."

Losing Alderaan, certain people who had been hidden away there to reconstruct that history, had been a near fatal blow to ever knowing the truth. Mon had specifically said that anything about the Jedi had only been known by her father, unfortunately.

Fives made an amused noise, "You'd need the Captain and Artooey, more than me, for that, ma'am. ARC or not, I'm just -- " 

His Captain's hand smacked into the back of his head, and he noted that he hadn't lost any strength for all he'd lost the height, and he amended his sentence, " -- too busy to watch the politics?" 

Luke started to protest the rough treatment of someone still sporting a bacta bandage over a surgery spot, but the fact Rex's hand immediately moved back to rest on Fives' arm and the pair seemed to lean closer together, eased part of his unease. The other thing was the raw affection and pride flowing between them in the Force, strong enough for even his ability to make out as solid emotions.

"Sometimes, Fives, it is that on-the-ground experience that needs to be documented. But, back around, is there anything that we can answer?"

Rex looked at her sincerely. "Ma'am, I know Chandrilia stood with Alderaan and Naboo and Pantora. If a list of those that are known to be the Emperor's allies, suspected or confirmed, to that era could be put together, it would make Amidala's life easier, once Fives gets to the political side. I've got Fulcrum's notes, and have started decrypting it to a code that Fives will be able to understand, but you might have more names than she did, given it's been a few years, and she was always more on the fighting side of things."

Leia made a quiet, dark noise, but she nodded. "I think I can help with that, yes." She turned her comm to tap a message to Mon Mothma, who would know even better than she did. "I know who's grown rich helping him destroy everything decent in the galaxy, after all." 

Fives' lip curled at that, at the confirmation that the Emperor was everything they'd been raised to fight against, and he settled in for the strangest -- and most back-and-forth -- briefing in his existence. 

+++

Fives was leaning over, watching the datapad, making certain he knew the code used, while Rex slept on the bed beside him. It… was odd to share a berth with the elder vod, but it also was comforting to have this time. He was running through the data, notes made about the fall of the Republic, mostly pieced together after the fact, noting that the language shifted between Mando'a and Basic.

Then a report gave way to a vid clip, and he saw the most gorgeous woman he'd ever seen on the screen.

"Rexter, I've been trying to back this thing up, especially when I'm away from you for a long time, but sometimes I really wonder why. Who's going to care, by the time we win? Oh well. _K'oyacyi, riduur._ "

After a heartbeat of absolute stunned amazement, Fives realized that beautiful woman was none other than his Commander, and what that word meant.

Married? The Captain and the Commander? _Married_?! 

That was... It took a long few seconds for him to come to terms with that, since it was so far out of anything he'd ever considered. And... the Commander, their _vod'ika_ , had grown up more beautiful than even Master Ti? 

That was almost as startling. Yeah, sure, she had her moments of absolutely lovely, but -- _that_? She was just... so stunning. And his _vod_ was one kriffing lucky man. 

Rex had shifted a little at her low voice, but not truly awakened. His hand did move, though, up to his chest, to the small token he wore there under his shirt. The datapad had shifted back to more reports, but Fives almost hoped she'd pop back up, as he kept going through the whole of it, memorizing what he could, just in case.

+++

"So, when you make the time to get to Kenobi, I'm sure Cody will be there," Rex said as they joined the young Skywalker for an attempt to handle sending Fives back. "Telling him I sent you might be enough. Don't mention the chips, or any of this; I love my brother, but he never really got good at questioning things.

"If he gives you grief, tell Cody you know all about the incident with Jango when we were six. I swore I'd never breathe a word of it, but me telling you that would make it clear to him how serious I am," Rex said.

An incident with -- Fives stared at him, wide-eyed, before he nodded, once. "Hope it won't be needed, _vod_ , but I won't forget. But you know I'm gonna bug -- the you I'll be with -- for that story, right?" 

He liked the Commander, but Rex was right, he was... more by-the-book than he and Rex were, by a long league or three. 

Rex snorted. "It'll give you something to stay out of trouble with for a week or so, trying to get it out of me, then," he told Fives. He clasped Fives' shoulder tightly. "I know you'll do well, Fives. You always were one of my best."

Fives dropped his eyes, even as that praise made him stand taller. "Think it'll only take a week? Or is that just how long you'll put up with it before you really kick my _shebs_ all over a mat?" 

"I figure the fifth time I do wipe a mat with you, you might get the idea I don't want to talk about it," Rex laughed.

"Maybe," Fives said, with a grin on his lips that said he didn't really think so, leaning into the hand on his shoulder. Then he slipped out from under the strong hand on his shoulder, and moved towards the young _jetii_. "What do you need me to do, sir?" 

Luke glanced up and grinned a little. "Don't call me 'sir'?" he said.

Rex moved over to Artoo, settling on the decking beside the droid, to watch. He threw his considerable will at the task ahead, believing it would happen, wishing his wife was here to add her touch… and like a few times before, it almost felt like she was, her scent in his nose, and the faintest caress of her fingers along his scalp.

"All you have to do is hold it and remember every detail about when it snatched you from, I think," Luke told him. "I've been thinking hard on it, trying to be open to the Force, and that's all I've gotten."

"Sorry, si -- Luke -- it's sort of habit," Fives replied, before he shifted his bucket to held between both knees so that he could put both of his hands on the object. Whatever it was. 

"Yeah, well you have a lot more experience than me, and that's what counts," Luke told him. Rex had to cut a quick look that way, even as the sense his _riduur_ was there intensified. 

//Getting too old for Force Things, Rex,// he chided himself, as Luke closed his eyes and focused on the artifact, on the Force… trying hard to open himself to the Force as a conduit for it. Rex had seen that look, on Kanan, on Ezra, on Ahsoka, and he willed this boy to be strong enough, to be able to do what was needed.

Then the artifact began to glow, so much more brightly than Fives remembered, and reality began to bend around him.

Fives held on to it, focusing every bit of his will on remembering every detail of the place, of the brothers around him, the General ahead, making himself see it as though he'd never left. The scent of old, disused space, the glare of the rolling lights.... He was good at details, it was one of the reasons he was an ARC. 

" _K'oyacyi, vod_ ," Rex said softly, closing his eyes as the Force in the bay they were in grew overwhelmingly powerful, actually becoming a light that blotted out all else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahsoka Lives... but maybe not quite the way everyone wanted.


	5. Back to Reality

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fives makes it back home and sets in motion what he hopes will be enough to save them all.

"Fives, are you alright?" Echo was asking, dropping back to help in case this stumble had caused Fives to wrench something. It was amazing that his vod hadn't actually ever broken anything in some of the agility fails he'd been through.

Fives stumbled again, somehow now with only one hand on the thing and the other holding his bucket, Echo's voice in his ears -- _Echo_ , **his** Echo, safe -- and the company around them, his head feeling like it wanted to split apart, and... "General!" he yelled at full volume, as he let himself sit down. 

Echo helped Fives down, more worried than ever, but Skywalker was coming, already more on edge because he could have sworn, for a moment, the Force had swelled around them all. Artoo was on his heels, projecting more light for him, as he came to a stop at Fives.

"Are you alright, Fives?" he asked with worry for his man.

"...not really, Sir? Please take this karking thing before it hits me over the head with more things I don't want to see?" His eyes searched his General's face, so relieved to see him, to have him right there, where he could protect him, keep -- 

"Um, carefully, Sir?" 

"Of course, Fives." Anakin took hold of it with the Force, as he felt it had been the source of the surge. It seemed inert now, at least. "Artoo, got a spare compartment?"

The droid popped one open, and the artifact floated into it, to be held for further investigation.

"Echo, go ahead and take him back out, would you?" Anakin ordered/requested.

Fives opened his mouth to protest that he'd be okay in just a moment, if he just sat here a second... and his General's eyes flashed with a blaze of blue and he shut his mouth again, only nodding. Probably best if he did get back to at least a lartie -- preferably before anyone noticed the cut along his scalp. 

"Sir, yes sir," Echo said, sliding an arm down under Fives' to help him up. Anakin frowned a little at something out of place, but he was still unsettled from Asajj's presence, and moved back to continue his search of the place.

Echo waited for Fives to secure his bucket, and then was guiding him out. "Did you eat before we dropped?" he checked. "Been hydrating? You know Kix will want to know."

"Yes, and yes, and I know," Fives answered, before realizing that if Kix got hold of him things were _not_ going to be good. "It's not my fault, it's that damned... whatever not-Holocron thing that was, Kix has better things to do than poke me when I'm fine." 

"Alright," Echo said skeptically. "When did you cut your head? I don't remember it from last night."

"What?" Fives asked, possibly a beat too late, then went on. " ...hell if I know," he said, because he honestly had no idea _when_ they had been. He wasn't all that worried about it. "I'll wash it out when we get back, can't be deep if I don't remember it, right?" 

"Alright," Echo said skeptically. "You're acting very odd."

"...I wasn't kidding, _cyare_ ," Fives told him, soft, leaning against his grip for a moment. "I... saw things, holding that -- thing. Trying to get my head around it." 

Echo nodded, then took him on out to the lartie, so they could both sit. It felt odd, to not be with the unit and not be really wounded, but he didn't want to leave Fives alone to rejoin everyone.

+++

Finding Fives was not usually a difficult task, and Rex was too aware of his unit to miss the fact that something had happened with his man once both halves of the battalion were back in one space. 

"Vod, may I enter?" he asked, cognizant of the growing wish for privacy as he paused outside the quarters shared by his ARC troopers.

Fives stood up at that voice -- truly right tone, no age-roughened edge to it, his Captain _there_ \-- and he wondered at the luck that had brought Rex to their door while Echo still hadn't simmered down from that he wasn't talking about what had happened. He couldn't figure out _how_ to talk about it to Echo. It was... too much and too big and too unbelieveable. But... he sort of had a faint advantage with the Captain, for possibly the only time in his life. 

"Come in, Sir. Please." 

"Are you sick?" Rex asked as he did step in, hearing that 'please' with worry. He took in the way Fives looked, eyes going to the bare spot around a bandage on his head. "Hit your head, Trooper?" The Captain let his full weight of senses loose, trying to determine what was wrong or had happened to get Fives knocked off mission.

"Not sick, and don't I _wish_ that was all there was to it," Fives replied, leaning to shut the door. It wasn't worth trying to lock it, but most brothers wouldn't push past a shut door. He reached up, then, bare-fingered, and tugged the small bandage up and off. Hiding the cut until his hair grew back in was going to be a kriffing pain, but it was what it was. "Except I don't, because if it was, everything would still happen, and it **can't**." 

"You're not making even as much sense as you manage when you're attempting to bluff," Rex said, but he came and inspected the surgically-clean cut, healed well with bacta, Rex could tell. That wasn't physically possible; he'd pulled a surprise physical inspection on the men the night before they dropped, and Fives' had not possessed any wound then. Nor had he been on Kix's wounded list. He stepped around to meet Fives' eyes directly. "What happened down there? Everything you can remember, vod'ika, and I'll listen."

Rex's instincts were screaming at him now, and he wondered just how screwy this was all going to be in the end.

Fives rolled his shoulders and nodded, the quietly claiming 'vod'ika' petting down his spine. His Captain, with everything that meant, and the right height and sharp edge to him. The touch of bafflement in Rex's dark eyes looking at the cut was... actually helpful. "Yeah," he agreed with the assessment. "You know I didn't get a surgical cut down there. 

"It -- my foot came down on some kind of armored creature, I jumped off of it, hit some kind of oversized pillar, and this... Force-object dropped down into my hand. By the time I'd actually got control of it, it was glowing, and the world got weird... and I opened my eyes to about twenty, thirty years more dust, none of my brothers, and a stranger with an astromech. 

"I must've only disappeared for portions of a second, here, because Echo wasn't freaked when I opened my eyes here-again. It was... a lot longer than that, for me." 

"Obviously. Thought we'd all agreed to leave Force things to the _jetiise_ ," Rex said, before guiding Fives back and down on the bunk, sitting next to him.

His man had vanished? Had been gone from here-now, alone? Like _haran_! That just didn't set well with him at all. Rex knew he'd lose brothers, would probably walk far away before the war ended, but to lose a man _that_ way set poorly with him. Thank the stars Fives was back when he belonged!

Fives twisted as soon as they were both down, latching his near arm as tight around his Captain as he would with Echo, and kriff formality. Really sort of a lot, given some of the bite-marks littering his skin... "I thought so too! Not certain why the thing picked me, but it did. 

"So now I get to deal with everything I... saw. Experienced. Heard." He glanced at his Captain, but he was quiet, listening and intent, so Fives took a breath, two, and pushed fingers through his hair, careful of the cut. "Force dropped me out on a barely-trained half-grown _jetii_ \-- and Artoo, who knew me, but couldn't tell me what the kriff'd happened, 'cause the General's failsafes'd been triggered." 

Rex frowned, looked at the cut, then back at Fives' face. "You're asking me to believe you went away, to a different time, and bounced back in less than it took for Echo to notice you might not be there… but we are part of Skywalker's unit." He gave a half-shrug of one shoulder. "What kind of intel did you get for us, Fives?"

Fives shrugged slightly at the 'asking me to believe', since he knew it was ludicrous but it was also the blatant and obvious truth. Given the cut, and everything. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to figure out where to start. "Frankly? I saw a future where the Sith win, Sir -- but I also know how to stop it."

"Like _haran_!" Rex growled, fierce and full of dismay as well as defiance. "Those kriffing pieces of filth won't… can't!"

Fives twisted enough to get his hand locked around his Captain's wrist, "I know, Sir, I -- I _know_. But I swear. I know how to stop it. Or if not stop it, make it a _lot_ worse on them trying." He smiled, sharply savage, at the thought of that kriffing Sith even trying to turn them on their _jetiise_ after the chips were neutralized or out. 

Rex shifted them around so he could lock his other hand on Fives'. "What do you need from me to do it, vod? I'll back you to the Generals on whatever it takes." He gave his unconditional loyalty to the younger man on those words, fervent need to see the Sith defeated working with the logic of that cut to make Rex believe.

"Get me to General Kenobi, as fast as we can make it happen," Fives answered, half-sighing in relief at that solid grasp. "Pretty sure I can get myself past Commander Cody... even if I am _dying_ of curiosity to know what you two got into with Jango when you were six." 

Rex jerked as Fives said that, then glared at him. "Top secret. And I will. I'll send you… with Echo if you need… to look for ARC potential recruits in the 212th; they're larger, and you're fresh enough from training to be able to spot the likely ones."

Fives deliberately sulked at him for a moment, all big eyes, then hummed. "...assuming he forgives me before you've got everything set up, yeah, I'd like to have him. 

"Right, one thing right now. We get in a brother named Tup, somebody goes on the Commander's six all-day-every-day -- it's not his fault, he was just the easiest time-marker for something that happens with her." 

There was a marked change in Rex's presence at that warning. His posture shifted toward something far more dangerous, and his face tightened in a personal offense at the words. "Tup. Right," he managed to say in a clipped, harsh tone. Nothing, not anything, was going to harm his Commander while he was on watch, despite her reckless nature.

Uh-huh. Fives nodded, before a grin flicked across his features and -- having neither hand free -- leaned to tap his forehead against his Captain's, not hard enough to hurt but quick enough to be an impact. "That's from you," he said quickly, "to tell you to stop wasting so much time with her." 

Rex blinked, startled, then got a guarded look on his face. "She's a friend." Even going that far, to name someone not them as a friend was telling, though. Rex felt a complicated knot in his chest about the padawan assigned to his General. He'd dismissed her as a nuisance at first, then grown to respect not just her skill, but _her_. He couldn't even pinpoint when, though the moment that always leaped to mind on when he knew she had the right spirit was when she'd commanded him to continue the mission and baited that walking death machine away to let them succeed.

"Mm-hmm," he said, agreeing and not entirely believing it at the same time. "Your business, _vod_ , but why make her wait?" Fives let his hand flex where he had hold of his Captain, and didn't let go. 

"In case you haven't noticed, and despite the fact she loudly proclaimed herself of age, she's only about eight in our years?" Rex chided. "Besides, you've seen her with that other Commander." That should be the end of that nonsense. He wasn't thinking of a hypothetical future where he did catch the Commander's eye. He couldn't. She deserved better.

Fives growled, low in his throat, at the mention of _that one_ , his eyes flashing dark, and he rolled his shoulders. "Yeah, that apparently ends badly, though maybe not _as_ bad, now? Assuming her Master listens to me, anyway." 

Rex closed his eyes. "Kenobi. We get you to Kenobi first." He disengaged from Fives, and made ready to go get the orders together. "I suggest you get Echo straightened out, because I don't like the idea of you being alone. Hear me?"

"Loud and clear, sir. Not that I needed the suggestion." He hated being at odds with his brother. 

"Didn't think you did… but sometimes you're a strange one."


	6. And to All, a New Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Obi-Wan Kenobi meets with Fives, and the history begins to unravel.

It was amazing, Fives thought, not for the first time, just how fast Captain Rex could get things done when he put his mind to it. He hadn't had things quite patched up with Echo when they got orders for the ARC-170 and then the _Negotiator_ , but Echo had at least been talking to him... and. well, there was nothing really to do once a hyperspace course was set in. So he'd had the trip, spent almost entirely curled in Echo's lap and arms in his blacks, to work on that. 

Flatly admitting that 'yes, this's just a cover, and yes I'm going to have to rely on you for getting most of it done' had, at least, helped. 

But they were currently dropping back _out_ of hyperspace, and so it was back to business. First, the stated part, for at least a little while. Like docking, for instance, and then figuring out how annoyed Commander Cody was with their arrival. 

Cody was not on hand to receive them; the 212th was a larger unit, after all, but he had detailed Wooley to meet them and guide them to the Commander's location. Wooley gave a sharp salute to both men as they disembarked.

"Sirs, this way," he said once the salute was returned. "The Commander is overseeing a drill in the portside bay."

Fives nodded and flashed a grin at Wooley, "Thanks, _vod_. Right behind you." 

Echo fell in with his brother and _cyare_ , surveying the ship as they moved. Differences in layout were minimal, but there was a more… efficient feeling?... yes, that would work… to the way the _Negotiator_ felt. It wasn't that Admiral Yularen didn't run a taut ship; it was that he had relaxed to Skywalker's ideas on letting the ship be a _home_ to the men and women who worked from it. Things weren't stowed quite regulation on the _Resolute_ , other than to abide by safety and common sense rules. Items could be found in odd locations, because they had proven to be needed in various situations far from their original locations.

They reached the bay, at last, having crossed most of the ship, to find the scarred Commander on a catwalk, watching as relative shinies ran a simulation not too far off from the Citadel simulation. He glanced up, accepted Wooley's salute and dismissed him, then let his eyes narrow on Fives.

"You're more than welcome to continue with your stated mission while aboard," he began. "However, I know that you have something else under your bucket. I need your parameters."

"I need to talk to your General. Face to face, privately, and it might be a kriffing long talk," Fives answered, shrugging one shoulder slightly. "Echo's here because my Captain didn't want me alone with this." 

Cody gave the look that said no brother should ever be alone. He might be more by the regs than most, but deep under it, he did actually live and breathe as a vod. "He's a busy man, Trooper," Cody said, balking at anything else cutting in on the man that was running more than half of the Republic's side of the war as it was.

"I know that, Sir," Fives agreed, matching his gaze, "but it's important, if we ever want to end this." 

Hope flickered in Cody's eyes, before he narrowed them. "You know, if you waste his time, I will have your hide? Your Captain will not have any say in what I do before I send you back."

Echo half-bristled, but he knew it was a threat that would never come to pass. Fives was safe.

"Sir, if he thinks I've wasted his time, you're welcome to my hide," Fives answered, and meant it. If he couldn't make General Kenobi listen... he'd have to try to deal with it on his own, and that was going to end with him dead. The Commander's temper'd be the least of his problems. 

Cody nodded, slowly, at that. He then signaled for Waxer to take over observation point, with the man quickly moving to a different vantage on the opposite catwalk before leading the pair of 501st soldiers toward the command tower.

"He should be in his ready room at this time." The faster Obi-Wan knew what in kriff was going on, the sooner Cody could stop twitching. Even if his general did not tell him, he'd be able to use Obi-Wan's reaction to set his mind at peace… or make good on his threat.

"Yes sir," Fives replied and fell in, relief running up and down his spine. He hadn't actually had to play the same trump card twice, and they'd be to General Kenobi soon. Then... then he could start actually unloading this onto shoulders that weren't booby-trapped and could do something about it. 

Cody took them straight to Obi-Wan, pausing at the door for them to remain there before slipping inside. 

"General, sir," he said, even as Obi-Wan's head was coming up from the report he'd been working on.

Fives stilled, waiting at-ease, and not trying to listen beyond the re-closed door, his eyes turning to Echo instead. 

"Cody?" Obi-Wan asked, looking at the too-sharp line of his jaw, the shade of added darkness in his eyes that hadn't been there when he last saw him, bare hours ago... 

"ARC-Trooper Fives is reporting in, and he states he has business with you, concerning the overall war effort," Cody said. The mere fact he was announcing that said Cody had vetted it as much as he could, and agreed.

Obi-Wan reached up and pinched the bridge of his nose, then took up his cup and sipped the now cold tea. He cleared sensitive material off the screens and desk, then nodded.

"Allow him in, Cody."

"Yes, sir," Cody replied, though he still did not like the entire thing. Only that Fives had obviously convinced Rex had him at all easy with it, and he moved back towards the door to step out and let him in. He locked eyes with the younger man, one more time, because his General's time was so precious, but he slipped aside. 

Fives nodded his understanding, his reassurance, and moved past the Commander into the General's ready room and towards the General, snapping to full attention. 

Echo remained outside, taking up a guard stance… and Cody approved, letting him have that.

Obi-Wan focused on Fives, letting him stand at attention for a moment before waving him to the seat in front of his desk.

"What is this about, Fives?"

Fives slid his bucket off, stowed it, and accepted the offered seat -- he wouldn't, normally, but there was every chance that this was going to take a while. "I had an -- " no profanity in front of General Kenobi "-- incident, with some kind of Force artifact, Sir. And it... I'm flatly terrified of what I found out, General, and I couldn't tell **my** General." 

Obi-Wan weighed that, long and hard. "Captain Rex evidently believed you. You were earnest enough to convince my Commander this would not be a waste of my time. And the report filed by … I believe Ahsoka filed it, but based off what she was told… Anakin states there was an artifact removed on the last mission that he believes is Force-laden.

"So, begin to tell me what you learned, and we shall see if the Force truly is revealing a possibility to you, or if Ventress left behind a cunning Sith trap."

"Yes, Sir," Fives agreed, before he turned his head. "This was a decent bit of proof," he said of the gash, "as I didn't have it when I dropped onto the planet, and it's no minor cut. Goes through the skull and in about ten centimeters, sir; ...and it makes me the anomaly among all my brothers, because there's no chance of the trap the Sith left for all the _jetiise_ being set off in me." 

Obi-Wan's attention focused sharply on him at those words. "Our men? A trap? But they… and we… " It was not often his words failed him in front of a soldier, but that idea was absolutely abominable. "Start at the beginning. Everything you heard or saw because of the artifact, and I will listen."

Fives almost stretched a hand across the desk, but this was General Kenobi, not quite his, so he kept his hands where they were. "Everything started with my meeting my General's son," he offered. 

Obi-Wan's eyebrow peaked sharply at that, but he kept the exasperated sigh and 'Ana~kin' completely internal. "That must have been an interesting moment," he said instead, and motioned for Fives to continue, his interest sharply focused.

By the end of the man's recap of all he had been through in that supposed blink of an eye, Obi-Wan had managed to go utterly ash-white, nearly spilled his tea with shaking hands at one point, and let loose an entire cavalcade of profanity in a mix of Basic, Mando'a, and Twi'leki. But it was very evident, throughout his listening, that Obi-Wan was truly believing him, reacting to the Force's own pressure on the conversation.

Fives had filed away some of that profanity -- General Kenobi had a brilliant turn of phrase, and quite an understanding of what was really seriously insulting -- for later use, but he'd just kept talking. About his General's _ad'e_ , about Artoo. About his Captain, and the agony in his eyes. About the warnings about Commander Offee, and what she would do if she wasn't stopped. He finished by unlocking his armor and reaching into the inside pouch for the pad with Fulcrum's notes to pass it over. 

Obi-Wan accepted it, even as he tried to wrap his head around Ahsoka ever being gone from them, as she had stabilized and even matured Anakin in ways he had only hoped for. That was a more personal loss to consider, because his brain kept rejecting the idea of the Order ceasing to exist.

"Names of people known to be corrupt before or after the rise of the Empire, mitigating causes, all evidence that has been reconstructed…" He trailed off after having read those files, easily working through the cypher Rex had reset it to for Fives. "This will be invaluable to finding the proof to bring him down."

He scrolled further, opening a file marked chip deactivation, and frowning at the method inside. "I don't think we can afford that many droid poppers, do you? Which means finding a different avenue." He focused on Fives intently. "You and Echo must find at least a pair of candidates for training, and personally deliver them to Kamino, I believe. And if you would be so kind as to take a courier message to Master Ti for me?" he said guilelessly. 

"Sir," Fives replied with a sharp-edged smile, "I'd be very glad to deliver anything you need taken. But no, I don't think we can afford that many. Or how obvious that would be. 

"I -- Sir -- _my_ General? What are -- How -- ?" he kept trying to figure out how to phrase the question and failing, but he was afraid for his General. He needed to know there was something to be done. Something that meant Luke and Leia wouldn't grow up without him. 

Obi-Wan gave the saddest smile Fives had ever seen on a being. His eyes were an abyss of tragedy, but then he sighed softly. "Leave Anakin to me, once we have other parts in motion. You to Shaak, so she may disarm the bomb. I will call an ally to myself, and set in motion the investigation, once I peruse all of this.

"And then, with two points of the pincer in motion, I can be the third, to remedy Anakin's small Sith problem."

Fives relaxed some at that, because this was General Kenobi, and he'd see it through. "Can't do much but leave it to you, Sir. But I -- I'm afraid for him." 

"Your worry is noted, Trooper, but I will not allow him to be harmed in the fallout of this," Obi-Wan said, eyes and voice going like steel, as he would not fail his padawan. "Now, go to work. Cody will get someone to lead you through the men to look. I expect you to have candidates and be ready to resume the rest of your mission by ship's first hour, tomorrow." They could not afford to delay. "Make a pretense of looking, but I know my recommendation would be Waxer and Boil. They could use the polish on their skills."

Fives hadn't known that was what he was looking for, hoping for, but the steel in General Kenobi's eyes and voice made all of his fright and worry relax, dissipate under the certainty it would be okay. His General would be fine, if General Kenobi had anything to say about it -- and he had things to say about everything. 

Waxer and Boil... "Not a bad thought. And yes, Sir!" 

He gathered his bucket, pushed back up to his feet, snapped a crisp salute, was nodded at, and obeyed the order to get back to work. With this ball rolling, under General Kenobi's guidance, they would bring this war to an end… and save his brothers, Fives knew!

+++

It took most of a month. Shaak Ti, Echo, and Fives had isolated a carrier signal that was capable of rendering the chips into so much waste material inside the troopers' heads. Obi-Wan had set several Senators on investigating their compatriots back to the corruption that, inevitably, led to Palpatine, once a being knew to look. General Skywalker was further proof, something attested to by both Kenobi and Koon.

Pong Krell, having overstepped his bounds when recalled, had found a quick end at General Koon's hands as well. Fives didn't know what had happened with Unduli and Offee; Master Ti had taken care of them once Fives told her that part.

Now, there was just the matter of winning rights for all of the soldiers, which Senator Amidala was working on. Her threat to grant them all citizenship on her homeworld had several systems falling in line with her plans. No one wanted a single system to inherit the entire army. That there was still Dooku and his henchmen to find, was one reason the troops were facing some backlash on being released from service, but Organa was busy working political wedges into the Separatist Council to end the war faster.

In stirring up dust surrounding Palpatine's web of corruption, the Fleet wound up coming under scrutiny, with several high-level officers falling to the same trials that the corrupt Senators faced. 

As for the Chancellor himself, he had not taken to being removed from his office well. The decree had been issued, by Jedi suggestion, during a time when he was not in the chamber. A very irate Commander Fox, the entire Home Guard, and six Jedi had gone to arrest him. The Guard was much reduced in numbers, and only four Jedi survived the battle, but ultimately, even as powerful a Sith as the man had been, he had fallen to the overwhelming odds.

+++

The medal ceremony for Fives was a quiet one, as the means of how he had single-handedly brought everything around couldn't be general knowledge.

"Sirs, it's not my work. The Force put me there, but... it's the Commander that actually gave us what we needed. Her, and Captain Rex, sirs," Fives protested to General Kenobi and General Skywalker.

The former chuckled slightly. "And neither one will have to live the lives that brought them to the point of needing to do so. You get the medal; they have peace."

Fives conceded the point, but he vowed to remember, as the elder Captain Rex had been a man marked by that hard life, and his love for the woman that had built that evidence file. Maybe... maybe Kenobi was right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you one and all.


End file.
